Hi Gopal Though many would have similar experiences, Suresh has written it very well ...I think we should share this with Rahman and I cannot imagine how happy he would be.
Cheers. --- Gopal Srinivasan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://ursmusically.blogspot.com/2007/08/rahman-and-me-on-nostalgic-trip.html > > > > > Rahman and Me on a Nostalgic Trip > > > > > > > > > What > was the first musical note of Rahman that hit my > senses? What was the > first rhythm of Rahman that shook my body? These are > the questions I > often ask myself, for which I never had a proper > answer. I could > vaguely recollect watching a song from Roja in DD > and thats it. > Unlike others, who have many a times exclaimed and > explained, how they > were stunned by that new sound of Rahman, I dont > remember me, thinking > anything of that sort about Rahmans music in Roja. > The answer for my > no immediate reaction is simple, because at that > time, I didnt have > enough exposure to either film music or Illayarajas > music to compare > with. I didnt know anything about the kind of music > being made for > movies before Rahman came. Both Rahman and I entered > into film music at > the same time, only difference was that he had > started to compose and I > had started to listen. I was just 8 years old. > > I was born and > brought up in a small town, in a lower middle class > family. We couldnt > afford to buy a Tape recorder or cassettes then. We > had a big old radio > in which I dont have any memory of listening to > film songs. We didnt > have a TV either. We use to go to our neighbors > house to watch TV. I > think, after Roja, Rahman did Pudhiya Mugam, > because I remember > liking Kannukku Mai Azhaghu so much to an extent > that I wrote my own > lyrics for the song, a few insane lines of which I > still remember. It > goes like, Vetrikku Mei Azhaghu, Tholvikku Poi > Azhaghu. I dont know > where I listened to that song first. More than the > songs, the > background score of Pudhiya Mugam (which was earlier > used as title > music for a teleserial Revathi) drew my attention. > > > I was > going for a private tuition every evening to my > class teachers house > where they had a good audio system. They use to > listen to the songs > even when we study. I remember seeing the lyrics > booklet (a first time > for a Tamil soundtrack) that came with a well > designed Thiruda > Thiruda cassette. One day, instead of reading my > lessons, I started > reading that lyrics book while they were listening > to the songs. The > song that hit me like a hammer blow was Veerapandi > Kottaiyilae. I > couldnt believe what I was listening to. I couldnt > understand > anything in musical terms but I was wonderstruck by > the energy of the > beats and the unexpected variations in its tempo. > The freshness, the > energy, the innovation and the experimentation in > Thiruda Thiruda > music is still an unparalleled achievement. The > lunacy of Rahmans > music making style in that soundtrack is still > unbelievable. > > One > fine evening, one of my school mates asked me > whether I heard newly > released Arabic kadaloram song. He said that it > was going to be the > song of the year. I didnt understand what he meant > by saying song of > the year. I just forgot about it. By that time, we > had bought a small > black and white Onida TV. In DD, they use to air a > count down program > called Ek se Badkar Ek in which I saw > Kannaalanae song for the > first time. We were then a big joint family with 15 > members. My uncle > (my fathers brother) had bought a small tape > recorder. He often played > Bombay songs. Since, my father had a fight with him, > I was not allowed > inside his room to listen to the songs. I still > remember how I would > plead my grandpa to ask my uncle to increase the > volume so that I can > listen to the songs from the hall itself. That was > the amount of > interest in music Rahman kindled in me. I use to beg > him to play the > songs again and again. > > It was at that time I started buying > lyrics book. A lyrics book is a small book made of > low quality paper of > grey in colour, which will have lyrics of all the > songs from a movie, > printed in it. In the front cover, it will contain a > picture of the > hero and heroine of the movie. Inside, the song > lyrics would be printed > along with the name of the lyricist and the singers > at the right hand > top corner. They use to sell it outside our school. > I bought it for 25 > or 30 paisa. I use to listen to the song with lyrics > book in my hand > and sing along with it. Bombay was the first > soundtrack for which I > bought this lyrics book and use to keep it in secret > between my school > books. From then on, I bought the lyrics for all > Rahman soundtracks > that I got a chance to listen to. I use to steal > money from my Dads > purse for buying these books. > > Kaathu Kaathu ena Kaathu from > Uzhavan brings me the memory of those days when I > was in a crush with > a girl called Sheela, who is 4 years elder than me. > I use to sit on her > laps while commuting in an auto rickshaw to school > everyday. She > performed for this Kaathu kaathu ena kaathu song > on annual day > function and the way she danced graciously for the > song is still fresh > in my memory. I listened to the song mostly when she > was practicing for > that performance in the school. In those times, Sun > TV was telecast > only in the evenings, so for the rest of the time > they use to play > audio songs with a blank screen and that is when I > often heard and > liked Raakkoli rendum mulichirukku song. > > One day, my uncle > brought the original cassette of Kaadhalan. For the > first time, he > brought the tape recorder to the hall and played the > songs of > Kaadhalan. We were around five to six kids there at > home at that time > and we all liked the songs instantly. I could still > remember how we > group of kids couldnt stop dancing for the tunes of > Kaadhalan, > because, song after song the rhythm pumped up our > energy levels (we > fast forwarded the ennavalae song, we thought it > was so boring). We > played the whole soundtrack over 5 times on the very > first day until we > all got totally exhausted. > > So far then Rahman had only reached > my ears and my body but it was the music of Minsara > Kanavu which > pierced my body and went deep into my soul. It was a > kind of experience > which gives me goose bumps, when I think about it > even now. In our > town, in every street, during July-august of every > year, we celebrate a > festival called Maariyamman festival in which we > pray to a goddess > called Maariyamma for the well-being of the > families in that street. > At this time, they use to hang big speakers in every > electric === message truncated === ____________________________________________________________________________________ Park yourself in front of a world of choices in alternative vehicles. Visit the Yahoo! Auto Green Center. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/
