Thanks Pavan for sharing this. This is wonderful and must be archived. On Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 11:44 PM, $ Pavan Kumar $ <[email protected]>wrote:
> > > Ignore the typo errors please.. :) Very good read.. > *The Week on Rahman :* > > We like to believe that Indians have made a fantastic breakthrough in > international cinema, thanks to publicity generated by *Slumdog > Millionaire,* which is not an Indian film to begin with. But what it has > done is gift A.R Rahman's genius to the world. > > This modest musician has awaited a long time for universal recognition. It > is now his - Rahman is in a league of his own with no real competition, > either here or overseas. He is a genuine, gilt-edged ' valuable ' - > self-made and supreme > > ----------------------------------------------------- > *A.R Rahman* > *One with Music* > *By Prasoon Joshi* > * > * > There are certain things in this world that cannot be defined by logic. One > of them is God, another is music. A.R Rahman touches that chord and ventures > into the zone of the undefined. As a person, he visits this transcendental > world everytime he immerses himself in God or music, very often both. > > In this transcendental world, where others go to escape, Rahman is so > comfortable that he is almost at home there. But the magic of Rahman is more > than this comfort level at such an undefined plane. His real magic is his > ability to transport his listeners to that realm that defies logic. > > Rahman does not believe in boxing himself by defining his work as > 'commerical' or 'devotional' or 'pure are' or anyother format. He immerses > himself completely in his art and commercial success he gets is not the > objective of his excercise. It is a byproduct. > > Rahman is a rare human being who is so attuned to his craft that to > separate one from the other would be to distort the whole. That is why, very > often, when someone asks him to tinker with a composition, he simply puts > aside the original and creates a fresh one. > > There are many reasons why Rahman is one of the country's most valuable > persons, and luck doesn't happen to be one of them. Rahman is defined by his > hard work. He has been practising his craft since childhood and he is a > master. But he is constantly evolving, which brings about the freshness and > uniqueness in his work. There is never any stagnation or repetition. Yet > each work is so quintessentially Rahman. > > Rahman's music is rooted in Indian tradition, but he is very much > influenced by world music. That, perhaps, explains his universal appeal > among the young and the old. Old-timers connect with the warmth of > traditional music in his work, the younger ones with his experimentation. > Yet, Rahman tries not to shock his listeners. He makes his music easy to > appreciate because there is a touch of the familiar in it, in which the > listener finds a comfort zone even as her experiences some new sounds in > same composition. > > A musical journey with Rahman is an adventurous one, but one which ensures > a comfort level. He holds your hand and flies with you into an unknown > realm. He will never drop you into an ocean midway and expect you to swim > your way through. There is another important aspect to Rahman's work. He is > one of few musicians with an ear for not just melody, but also sound. His > music is richly layered with so many sounds that others may never have > thought of as music. > > He is such a fine sound technician and is so attuned to modern technology > that he can tell the sound engineer exactly what he wants. Yet, I would > never say that it is the technology wich defines his work or that Rahman is > a product of present times. Rahman would be the same even in another age. > Electronic gadgets may only have made the work a tad easier for him, but > Rahman without his sound system is as creative. He can actually click two > stones together and end up with a repertoire of musical sounds! > > I reiterate, Rahman's appeal is universal. Because, work for him is worship > and success merely incidental. Rahman has never been affected by the > trappings of stardom. There's never an entourage around him. He is a simple > man, of simple habits. Much has been writted about his humility, but it is > indeed trie. HE is very down to earth and never takes himself seriously. > > Many often wonder whether Rahman has reached the pinnacle of success. I > don't think so. Pinnacles are those who rise, he is free flowing, always > new, always refreshing. If I see him as he is today, post Oscar glory, I > only think he is raring to go and come up with more surprises. When asked > whether he is overworked, I've heard him say things like, " Why should I > take a break from what I love?" or " I don't need to unwind because I never > get wound up." There's a child-like enthusiasm in him that is only going to > explore, and explore more. If you look at worldly achievements, they may be > finite, but his creativitiy is infinite. It is part of his very being. > Rahman and his music are one. > > *Prasoon Joshi is a poet, lyricist and advertising professional who has > worked closely with A.R Rahman on several projects.* > * > * > *------------------------------------------------------* > > > -- regards, Vithur
