Foot prints ...

Most people discover Rahman the music director first and fall in love with him , but being the contrary nerd that I am , I fell in love with Rahman the singer . Any Rahman fan worth his salt will have certain songs , which converted him from an enthusiast to a fan , and from a fan to a acolyte. For a vast majority , his soundtrack in Roja was the starting point and Chinna Chinna Aasai would be mentioned many a times. For many others , it would be Veera Pandi Kottayile or Tanha Tanha. But for me , it was his number ‘only you’.

I was all but five years when Roja released . Well not quite five and not quite six to be exact , and at that age , music just didn’t interest me. Did I listen to ARR’s songs – yes , but did I pay attention to it – no. After his phenomenal success with Roja , Rahman kept churning out hits and I kept climbing trees , and making a nuisance out of my tomboy self until the inevitable happened . On a rainy afternoon in September , in the year 1997 I finally discovered Rahman. My parents had purchased the audio cassettes of Vande Mataram and Gurus of peace the previous day and having nothing to do but to sit at home and enjoy the rain , I popped the tape recorder open and placed Vande Mataram inside and epiphany happened.

As ‘Only you’ started playing I fell in love – in love with a voice which seemed to convey the feel behind the lyrics , a voice which was so different from the norm those days – a voice which was raw yet mature. As days went past , I also discovered Rahman the composer , and came to love his compositions – but it was Rahman the singer , who reigned supreme with me. Fifteen years have gone past since , but Rahman the singer is still a hot favorite.

So here’s my tribute to AR Rahman completing 20 years as a composer – a compilation of some of my favorites – sung by the master himself!

1. Chinna Chinna Aasai : This song of Rahman has a lot many things going for it. Lovely orchestration , beautiful singing by Minmini , and wonderful scenery from my beloved Tirunelveli. But the zenith of the song is that yelelo humming by our maestro. Every single time I listen to the humming , I can visualize the beauty of a lone boatman navigating a serene river and you feel as if nature is singing a beautiful lullaby.

2.Columbus : Not many Rahman fans like this song and I’m not sure why. The typical weekend song , that I listen to, on most Fridays when I travel back home , Columbus has nothing spectacular going for it unlike some songs of the master , but the lyric and the honesty in ARR’s voice is commendable. Not a great song , but a favorite nevertheless.

3. Only You : I’ve talked a lot about this song at this post , but braving the risk of sounding repetitive I am going to talk about it again. This in my opinion was the best song from Vande Mataram. Lovely lyrics , super singing accompanied by kick ass percussion. I don’t know if people see their motherland as a lover , but the lyricist of this song certainly did and Rahman through his brilliant singing conveys the emotions so beautifully.

4. Dil se : What can I say about this song except for the fact that its magnificent. Rahman excels again as a composer and as a singer leaves you spellbound with his vocal range. He proved that he was a consummate singer and added another feather to his singing cap. I was in class seven when the music release and was hooked to this song the moment I heard this – I am still hooked , fourteen years later.

5.Piya Haji Ali – Fiza was a good film and I ended up seeing it in theaters due to the Haji Ali song composed by Rahman. I didn’t understand much about Sufi music then , but this song in its serene glory impressed me pretty heavily . ARR entered into the Sufi realm of which he is a master now , with a quiet bang. Another gem in the master’s crown.

6.Vellai Pookal : Vellai Pookal to me is an ode to peace. a lovely melody which Maniratnam had cleverly used as a prologue before jumping into the core story where we are introduced to Amutha. This one is a must listen for the superb lyrics written by Vairamuthu and superb singing.

7. Lukka Chuppi – Every single time I listen to Lukka Chuppi I end up crying . Lata mangeshkar in magnificent form supported by ARR conveys a mother’s emotions so beautifully. One of the most underrated songs by ARR and the best song of the album IMO.

8. New York Nagaram : Rahman was not very frequent in the Tamil scene starting 2000s and by 2006 the top spot in the Tamil Music Industry was seemingly up for grabs , until ARR came back with this gorgeous beauty. Sillunu Oru Kadhal was not a great album by Rahman standards but new york nagaram stands out even today for that splendid tune and wonderful singing.

9. Tere Bina – Tere Bina is what I’d call a semi qawwali . The entire song is a beautiful package starting with the Dam Dhara strain, Rahman’s pitch perfect singing and Chinmayi’s lovely cameo. An all time favorite which I constantly hum to the irritation of my friends

10. Naan varuvene / Jaa Udd Jaa : The best song of Ravanan was the one not included in the soundtrack. This song starts when the visually stunning movie ends with Veera’s death. A haunting melody with exquisite orchestra work , Naan Varuvene is a vintage Rahman tune to be cherished by music Lovers.

Other Mentions – Al Madath Maula , Khwaja mere Khwaja and Kun Faya Kun : I did not number these songs in my compilations not because I don’t like them , but because I can’t rate them given the divinity they ooze. All three are favorites of mine , and for some reason always give me a reprieve from stress and depressed. When I feel down all I need to do is play one of these songs and I’m back to normal.
One of these days I’ll come up with additional playlists on ARR , but here are a set of my favorites sung by him and hopefully you’ll enjoy them too.

Until the next compilation ,
Adieu,
K

Very Very Special ...

Dear L,

I do know for a fact that VVS stands for Vangipirappu Venkata Sai. But for me and a million other cricket fans , it would always expand to Very Very Special - Special , because of your superb batting skill and technique ; Special , because you made my generation believe that it was indeed possible to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat , case in point your splendid knock in Mohali on what seems a tour from long time ago. You were to me the hero of the test , having scored a superb 73 in the second innings, fighting cramps  fatigue and the suicidal tendencies of your tail ender partners amongst a gazillion other things.

I also remember that before you made that 73 , you also had a very forgettable outing in the first innings - a single digit score , that set tongues wagging again , calling out for blood.It was always like that wasn't it ? That your place in the team was the one that was most questioned , no one giving a damn about the fact that one could indeed have an off day and god forbid , an off tour or an off season . Trust me I used to be so perplexed about  the fact that people were questioning your place. There were never any questions when Sehwag got out in the nastiest manner possible , because that was how he played. Tendulkar was never questioned simply because he was God. Rahul , your partner on the crease and at the slips , could have off days too , but you were expected to perform every single time , failing which the axe was called for.

Human minds are fickle or so they say. If that wasn't the case , why did everyone , including self , question your position on the team , when you slipped. I didn't know and to be frank I didn't care. In fact I didn't even bother to find out why , until today - a black day for Indian cricket fans , as you walked into the sunset following your partner into retirement.

I was not that much into cricket when you made your debut , against the most formidable side in test cricket today , in 1996 and I guess not many nine year old girls were into test cricket then. I did not see that match and have not seen it till date , but most people tell me that your knock in the second innings of that match was the cause of the above mentioned problem. My father tells me that you made a splendid half century . Some of my older colleagues talk about the repertoire of strokes you exhibited that day. A few of my friends talk about your fighting spirit but unfortunately none of them call it special. A legend was born that day without the pomp and splendor that was normally associated with the event.  May be it was that air of simplicity around you , may be it was that appearance of ease in your stroke making ; people took it for granted  that a man called Laxman would always pull them out of trouble - never mind how deep the shit was.

The problem lay in the fact that while a machine's efficiency was expected from you , which was met with in most of the cases , you were at the end of the day a human , a human prone to mistakes , a human who did fail sometimes. When I think about your sixteen year career , the first thing that comes to my  mind is the success you enjoyed against Australia . According to the judgmental humans who watched your career , they were by far your most favorite adversaries , never mind your splendid performance against the West Indies or the South Africans and if I look closer to home the Sri lankans.   You loved playing against the Aussies didn't you ? I would like to think so , given the fact the a majority of your batting milestones were chiseled in an Ind vs Aus fixture. What many of us failed to realize was that you loved your other opponents too. In fact you loved  everything about the game , be it batting , be it fielding at the slips or shouting at a stupid lower order batsman for taking a suicidal run. I still look back to that day some years ago , when you measured the gap between the slips , as Gautam Gambhir stepped up to relieve you of your slip duties for a while. It brought a smile to my face and along with it the realization of the commitment you had for your duties. But sadly enough , I forgot all of that the moment you hit a rough patch and the rough patch for many of us was the Tour of Australia , in early 2012.

As you fumbled and failed on that nightmarish tour , the voices calling out for your blood became louder. Whatever little support you had vanished the day Dravid retired . Many of us steadfast Dravid fans believed that you deserved to go before our master , given your horrible outing in England. The voices kept rising as we heard of our young future's domestic successes and due to the mistaken belief that they were being kept out of the side ,out of deference to the failing seniors - until you decided to put to a stop to it in your own way.

When reports started leaking in , that you were planning to retire - I was one of the many who thought that it was time. Why, I even tweeted that the decision was in good stead and it was necessary to blood the youngsters in before the 2013 SA series. I did not cry as I did when I read of Dravid's retirement. I did not wince as I did when injury forced Boucher out of action. Why I did not even indulge on Nostalgia , as I do when sportsmen I watch call it a day and I am very very ashamed of this fact.
 
 As you walked into the sunset , head held high , with a shy smile that hid your inner sorrow , I realized that you were a hero that many of us mere mortals took for granted. I now know I am not going to see you in action at Hyderabad - not on the cricket field at least. I know without an ounce of doubt that I cannot take victory for granted when we are trailing behind by 200 odd runs with 8 wickets down. I know that however talented and prodigious your successor might be , he will never match you in terms of presence or stature.


Today , you made me realize what was under my nose for all these years - that you were a supremely talented human being , who always kept punching above his weight , despite the brickbats that were directed at you , without any reason. I did not realize it much earlier , but today as I pen this letter I realize the fact that you were a super talented cricketer , a splendid human being and last but not the least , a humble hero.

As I realize the magnitude of your action , I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the lovely memories you provided and humbly apologize for the thoughtless abuses .

                                                                                                          Bidding Adieu with a heavy heart
                                                                                                          K