Des Ki Mitti- by A.R.R.

Well, this blog has been musically over-inclined and I guess given the madness of music in me, it will be that way for the rest of the future also.. And straightaway coming to the topic this time, I was listening to that old beaten track of A.R.Rahman that most miss out on - infact the entire album I should say is one of his very best.- Bose-The Forgotten Hero. Quite aptly to the title of the movie, the music was forgotten without any trace. Probably because it was a documentary? Lets chuck that out- for you guys and girls who're reading this blog out there- I strongly advise you to listen to this track - "Des Ki Mitti" from the album. I reckon it's instrumental version is what I listen to normally., and this piece leaves me stunned everytime I listen to it. Sometimes there are little tears forming in the eye- out of love for the nation. I mean, this guy knows his patriotism. There is a difference between those Lord Of The Rings'ish type of music which causes you goosebumps and such kind of music.. There is simply something extra in Des Ki Mitti which tugs at those gentle strings on which you tend to get a little bit emotional. The tune starts off as you can expect with any good instrumental, and then suddenly takes a turn towards the heavens - in reverence of the great Mother India. Listen to it and you'll know what I have been writing this blog about.

P.S.- For people from my Raga Discussing Group- I find a lot of Des Ki Mitti in ARR's Saawariya Sanwariya from Swades- especially in the beginning of "Sanwariya.." and also some of "Des Ki Mitti.." in "Vaazhga Vazhgave .." from Kadhal Virus - the Tamil movie - also of ARR's. Is it the familiar feeling of patriotism in the first two songs that is driving me crazy over them, or has it got something to do with raga bases being similar for all the three? Also - Des Ki Mitti seems to have tinges of the Instrumental bit which comes in between the 2nd and 3rd minute of "En Kaadhalae." from Duet- also an ARR masterpiece.

Cheers,
Sreenath!

Wrenching the soul out..

Not so recently (but definitely relevant), I attended a special screening of Rang De Basanti - on Independence day. As the movie rolled on , there were invisible fangs poking into my skin- that feeling of your guts at rock bottom ( the feeling when you go up in a lift? ) and a lot lot more. Every moment of the movie brought back memories of people who had been there when I watched the movie first-up at Ega theatre in Chennai- but now, aren't there to see what and where I am. Little tears rolled down my cheeks and I could not hold back from being little emotionally overcharged( thankfully some death scene was going on in the movie too - I escaped notice by others) Subconsciously, my mind was pressing onto me the fact that I may have committed some sin in my previous janma- or life as they say it in Hindu Vedas. The yearning human mind searches for a multitude of reasons about what may have been the "kartha" or doer of this deed- in the end it ends up with too many things negatively pointed towards yourself. Inevitable I say- for the person that I'm- I keep telling myself something went wrong with me.

Perhaps I did commit some sin? Who knows- but I very well know that what is gone is gone and irretrievable., death of a person (be it in the body and soul) is all but the same- the latter I would say is more excruciating infact. I know many will concur with me on this. Its just the irony of life.

You know the value of someone only when they're gone and will never, ever, be with you again.

That Place - That Beauty... Called Home.!

There are different ways in which people may perceive the tag "home" in this world.. Some hate going back there, some love it- some never want to leave it and some others do not even have one. So what makes home so special?

The very fact that its a place where you, and only you rule the roost.. Noone to disturb your routine and none at all to feel uncomfortable with.

The thought that it is YOUR home- the responsibility of having to maintain it as yours and feel comfortable in it.

That fact that whatever you do, it is all within the limit... those little walks to the grocery shop, beautiful times on the terrace chatting your way to glory on 10 paise calls with friends.. those get togethers where nothing seemed to matter except making fun.. Those moments when you think train journeys to college should never end...
those quirky moments when you looked back at a girl to see her look back.. and laughed to yourself..
those gully cricket matches you played in dead ends..
those eatouts when you literally didn't have more than 20 rupees in the pocket..
those moments when you cried because you ate too much of tasty homecooked food...
those times when you lied to friends to go out with your girl/guy..

all these will keep lingering on in my mind forever..


And I know everyone will know this- but yet again, this is the single largest reason for us to hate or love home.( In mycase, love of course).. Relationships. They are the single most reason we have such a close bond with our home.. we tend to associate home with cordial people who love you, who care for you, and who will go out of their way to make sure you have the best life possible.

For all those who have done that for me, are doing it and will hopefully continue to do so in the future , thanking them will forever be an understatement. Need I say more about why I miss that heaven on earth called home so much.

Its Cos I Love You All!

Sing-a-Song!!

As most of the people who know me would already know- I am totally crazy about music as such- and singing in particular. Ever noticed some people keep singing their way through anything and everything ranging from bathrooming to cycling ? I'm one of those insane junta. Well, lets not scold the better half of the world by saying they're insane- now this is something very common that I have noticed. Right from a manager to a teaboy, it manifests itself in different ways. Freedom of expression they say., I say its the power of music.

The way which this singing manifests itself can be in these forms... - inadvertent singing in loops

- wantedly singing(in case bathroom doesn't have lock!!) - enjoyable singing

There may be many more manifestations that you may find- it depends on the person who sees this., I belong to the last kind of people. Singing is to be enjoyed. However bad your throat may sound, however sore it maybe, however sick you maybe, the right song when sung in the right spirit could get you that additional pat on the back that you need- to buck yourselves up.

So next time, don't keep singing "Newyork Nag....."...

Try going a step ahead(literally!!)

Newyork Nagaram Urangum Neram Thanimai Adarndhadhu.....

(I'm surely missing someone when singing this!)

Music - and the heart.

The most beautiful aspect of music - which makes it all the more important to the sustenance of feelings in a human, is the creation of emotions- like from nowhere., bringing an untold attachment between the music(be it anything) and the soul. Many of us may have experienced such moments - many others would not have. But as someone who has gone through it- I must say it should happen to everyone.

One such instance came up, say three years ago(I guess) when A.R.Rahman's masterpiece-to-be album- Rang De Basanti released. All the songs went on to become smash hits- and here was this little track, Khun Chala, no more than a BG score for the movie. I hesitated to hear it given the short length that it was(normally the longer the song is , in cases of ARR, you want to hear it out).

All I knew was that I pressed the play button on the window. The next moment I can recollect is washing my teary face in the bathroom four minutes later. Here was one track that had moved me on the very first hearing. It was an anthem to me-an inspirational warcry- a masterpiece... IT WAS ANYTHING BUT A SONG.

Such instances in life are few and far in between. Especially if you tend to delve deep into music, you know some tunes move you- some others don't-and most of it doesn't even enter you.

Deservingly so, Khun Chala did to me what being hit by a car or smashing my eye into a pole couldn't.

It made me cry.

Sakkarakatti - ARR THE MASTER COMPOSER!

Here's a review I saw over the internet, which echoes my views about Sakkarakatti's audio album. ARR ROCKS!! So here goes:

With everything from the movie riding on the shoulders of a single person, AR Rahman, and considering Rahman’s track record with films where he is the lone savior, one’s blood is really pumped to listen to the music where he doesn’t have to deal with too big expectations associated with stars, directors, etc. And ‘Sakkarakatti’ brilliantly adds up to the list of low key films where Rahman works up his magic wonderfully well

1. I Miss You Da - This song starts brilliantly with the haunting ‘Emine….” chant. The female singer sings in a very erotic and sensuous tone that fits perfectly with the situation of the song. As usual, Rahman works up magic with the multi layered background instruments. Experimentation is at its very best in this song. The female singer puts in a lot of effort to give the perfect feeling to the song. A situational song, but it should be lapped up pretty soon by the listeners and should be a favorite with the radio stations

Rating: 9.5/10

2. Chinnamma (Jhalak UN Nenjil) – This song has been used from Rahman’s own film ‘Meenaxi’. It’s one of the favorites with Rahman fans which they can’t forget. The song starts off with brilliant flute which is now Rahman’s most favorite instrument. The original had Sukhwinder Singh and this Tamil version has Rahman’s latest sensational find, Benny Dayal (the Madhuraikki Pogadhadee and Nee Marlyn Manroe boy!). The lyrics fit in very well to the song (a bit unusual for re-used songs where the lyrics actually don’t gel that well). The background percussions and instruments complement the song wonderfully well. It’s a song that should be a bigger hit with the rural masses too. Has the potential to be a TV favorite if the song is picturised well. Some of the beats remind us of ‘Konjum Mainakale’ from Kandukonden Kandukonden but that’s only for a very very minor part.

Rating: 9.8/10

3. Elay Ulagam – A song with the nostalgic traces of the classic ‘Roobaroo’ from Rang De Basanti. Rahman is a king of such tracks, and its refreshingly one more additional track from him in that genre. The violin and the guitars in the background attract us even more than the singers themselves. Naresh Iyer is a star in his own right, but as usual, he gives his best to the song instead of trying to impose himself like other big singers. A foot tapping song that again should be lapped up by the youngsters in Tamil Nadu who will definitely love this song (some after a few listens, while many on first time itself)

Rating: 9.5/10

4. Naan Eppodhu – A refreshing melody from the female point of perspective. A song that is firmly rooted to Rahman’s forte of brilliant melody compositions. The percussion beats reminds us clearly of Rahman’s style. The mix of Veenai and the water sounds (mimicking that of a river) sound very refreshing and different. The singer is just brilliant in this song and the effort is just top notch. Not an instant hit with non-Rahman fans but will surely capture your heart if you keep listening to it (for Rahman fans, this should be an instant liking).

Rating: 9.4/10

5. Taxi Taxi – What a start to the song??? TERRIFIC!!! Blaaze is in full form with this song. I can’t believe it if people do not start dancing on their seats when they listen to this song. The typical youth chartbuster that should be heard all over Chennai in a few days of time. Rahman is back with the Boys feel, and Chennai is going to just love it! The song has the perfect flow to it for a peppy number and different variations have been tried here by ARR which works out wonderfully well. When it comes to the singers, ARR doesn’t compromise on quality and it can be evident in the type of singers that sing for him. At a few places, the song reminds us of “Paapu can’t dance saala” from the latest Hindi blockbuster film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa, but it’s just restricted to a few seconds of the background tune that’s used in the song. Some of the lyrics used for this song can be classified as the typical ‘Rahman lyric’ like ‘Shaba, Balle Balle’.

Rating: 9.9/10

6. Marudhaani – A typical Rahman start to the song. Reminds a bit of ‘Sahana Saaral’ from the blockbuster Shivaji. Madhushree puts in a lot more effort with her Tamil pronunciation and it clearly shows in the song. Madhushree does a great job with her singing as she is always brilliant. Rahman gives her brilliant support with the background instruments. A minor bit of disappointment is that, he doesn’t sing with her for the whole song but he does satisfy us a bit by singing a few small parts in the song which will make his hardcore fans (LIKE ME!) go berserk! But I still Miss Rahman the singer and it’s a disappointment that we don’t have a full fledged song from him in this album. But another very soothing and melodious number that should be primarily a hit with the city audiences.

Rating: 9.4/10

OVERALL VERDICT: An album that has all the typical elements of Rahman associated with it – peppy numbers, the usual Rahmaniac melody numbers, a folk type number, etc but an album that still retains its freshness because of the usual experimentation done by Rahman to make them sound different. The album should be a huge hit with the youngsters, and it can become a RAGE if the songs are picturised well by the director. Shantanu can’t hope for a better start to his acting career!

Rahman has not been concentrating too much on Tamil these days but in every album that has done in Tamil in the last few years, he has emphatically announced that ‘I AM BEST THAT YOU GUYS STILL HAVE OUT THERE’.

Overall Rating: 10/10 (BUY THE CD NOW!)

On-Sense !!

Sometimes you have loads of thoughts in your mind - to write about , and you never know what to choose to explain to the outside world. Some other times, there is not much going on in your brain to even write about, thoughts struggle to trickle in and flow from the intellect out onto the paper,or should I say, a computer screen in the case of a blog.

I don't know what to call this- writing fatigue, or boredom, or say plain listlessness. But then given that I have already blabbered a few lines out here, I should defiitely not be on any of the horizons of the phenomenon called "writing fatigue".

Enough of boring you people with scientific terms that I oh-so-intelligently managed to conjure up. Coming to the point of writing this post - I thought maybe I should for once try giving some nonsense as a blog also. I mean who doesn't write nonsense these days? Atleast be happy my nonsense makes grammatical sense!

I can hear you people murmuring "this guy has gone bonkers" already. Well, too much of comic-reading can sometimes lead persons to this frame of mind - where everything seems funny and impractically jovial. Things which would otherwise have escaped your humorous scrutiny can seem ridiculously funny , like this piece of writing here. I find it funny - and am laughing to myself, albeit surely knowing you guys find it a worthless piece of crap and a bore :-)

Cheers!