Dear Dasun........... No words... Only emotions .. Am unable to expresss it... Keep it going..
On 2/19/08, Sudarsan Rengarajan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Take a bow Dasun. Your imagination is truely wonderful. This song is > indeed a very special one and your write up makes it even sweeter. > > Sudarsan > > > On 2/18/08, Dasun Abeysekera <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Gomzy and Vishwesh, thanks for your feedback and you are most welcome. > > I'm so glad I wrote this..it gave me a chance to express how I've felt about > > this very special song...and it came out nicely too. :) > > > > Best regards, > > Dasun > > > > ------------------------------ > > To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:06:11 -0800 > > Subject: Re: [arr] Do Kadam – A Sublime Journey and A Sorrow that > > Lingers > > > > Dasun, > > > > I can't thank you enough for this beautiful writeup about one of my most > > favorite songs... > > > > You made my experience of listening to this already "very close to my > > heart" song, even more special & emotional... > > > > -Vishwesh. > > > > > > *Dasun Abeysekera <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>* wrote: > > > > As promised..here's my take on Do Kadam. Enjoy! :) > > > > Do Kadam – A Sublime Journey and A Sorrow that Lingers > > > > "If a music artist wants to blossom into a full-fledged person, it's not > > enough if he knows only classical music; nor is it enough if he is > > well-versed only in raagas and techniques. Instead, he should be a > > knowledgeable person interested in life and philosophy. In his personal life > > there should be, at least in some corner of his heart, a tinge of lingering > > sorrow." > > > > When I first read this profound quote by ARR, it sparked, deep inside of > > me, something very sincere and beautiful; these words may have been that > > little pinch the sleeping artist within me, who I had forgotten due to the > > constant pursuit of survival instincts and was consciously trying to > > restrain by offering traditional societal expectations as excuses, needed to > > rub his eyes and wake up! I had a natural interest in life and philosophy; > > it was as if these subjects were written into my genes, and I was always > > grateful to my parents and to my Buddhist upbringing for inculcating that > > sense of understanding and intuitive wisdom so early on in my life which > > made my life a little easier and more balanced during the typically > > turbulent teen-ages, though it often seemed to outsiders a very difficult > > and restrained one. It is this same intuitive sense of balance and > > understanding, now I realize, that drew me to the naturally symmetrical > > music of my life's early heroes - ARR and Yanni - at the age of 13 and made > > me appreciate and grow with their exquisite music. But, until the moment of > > reading this quote, I had not made the connection between these natural > > interests of mine and the awe-inspiring and divine profession of the true > > artist. What is lacking within this dormant artist that keeps him from > > getting out of his cozy bed? What is this tinge of lingering sorrow that ARR > > has in a corner of his heart? What sorrow could lie in the heart of this > > man, who, to me, embodies all that is beautiful, happy, and heavenly? Is it > > this sorrow that I lack? > > > > Years passed as an uninterrupted supply of beautiful music and > > incredible artistry from the maestro continued to subconsciously alter my > > spiritual state of being for the better while I contently lived with my > > latent artist trying to figure out what this sorrow is and how and where is > > it that he is going to find it. Then, in early 2004, I bought an album I had > > anxiously awaited for quite some time; it brought together India's foremost > > painter – M.F. Hussein – in his second directorial venture with India's > > foremost composer – A.R. Rahman! I knew I was going to get magic from > > this album well before its release! The music was true to expectations, very > > colorfully crafted, and quite deftly and intricately woven with ARR himself > > attempting to reach the abstract heights of an M.F. Hussein painting in > > the two instrumental pieces; however, one song stood out every time I > > listened to the entire album. It was something very special and the sounds > > and emotions spoke to my heart directly; yes, this song was divine! Do Kadam > > gave me so many goose-bumps each time I listened to it that I started to > > skip all the other songs (except, perhaps, for Rang Hain) and play only that > > over and over again; that is a high compliment given the quality of the > > entire album! I did not understand the Hindi lyrics (by Rahat Indori) fully > > at first except for a phrase here and there, though it was enough, I > > thought, to put together a rough sketch of what the song was about. I was > > wrong! This song could not be enjoyed in its fullest being by putting > > together its pieces in a haphazard manner like I did. In fact, to this day, > > I find some deeper meaning to the creativity in this song. As with any > > divinely inspired song, the first few notes and sounds captured my > > attention: it was synthetic, it was mystical, and it was vintage ARR! Enter > > the classy Sonu Nigam… > > > > Lyrics: > > Zindagi, haath mila; saath chal, saath me aa; > > Umr-bhar saath rahi > > > > Trans: > > Life, take this hand; come, come along with me; > > We will walk together forever > > > > And a gentle synth base guitar lick in the background picks up volume > > lifting you up as if you were in a helicopter taking off from earth. > > > > Lyrics: > > Do kadam aur, sahi, do kadam aur, sahi II > > > > Trans: > > two more steps, all right, two more steps II > > > > …and a happily persistent string section leads the protagonist, (given > > the movie's context, an artist: a writer), in a casual two step walk, > > guiding him down a sun lit path towards a golden land as the music bathes > > you in brilliant bright light. > > > > Lyrics: > > Koi suraj ki dagar, koi sone ka nagar > > Chaand ke rath pe chale, jahan tehre yeh nazar > > > > Trans: > > Some sunlit path, some golden city > > Walk in the path of the moon, where, this gaze would freeze > > > > And the synth lead guitar applies a slight break along the way followed > > by a wonderful panoramic scan of the scenes, which beautifully sets up the > > next lines. > > > > Lyrics: > > Dhoop Daryaon mein hain, phir safar paon mein hain > > Dil ka awara diya, doosre gaon mein hain > > Aaon, chale hum wahin > > Do kadam aur, sahi IV > > > > Trans: > > There's sunlight in the rivers, there's journey in your legs > > This wandering heart's lamp is in a different village > > Come, let us go there > > Take two more steps, all right IV > > > > Just listen to the magic created by the tangent chord that is touched > > just for 'doosre gaon' before returning immediately to the base. And the > > same persistent string section, almost turning around toward his follower > > from time to time, gesturing with his hands to make haste, never stops > > saying come on, two more steps! All right? Now as they get closer to this > > mysteriously beautiful place, the grand Timpani starts to roar from a > > distance and the majestic horns can be heard trumpeting its glory. Leading > > up to the next narrative, the walk's momentum picks up with a lively conga > > layering over the soft cymbals. > > > > Lyrics: > > Khwaab dalte hain jahan, dil pighalte hain jahan > > Aaon chalte hain wahin, woh zameen door nahin > > Dosti hogi wahan, roshni hogi wahan > > Us ujaale ke liye, jal chuke laakhon diye > > Ek hum aur, sahi > > Do kadam aur, sahi IV > > > > Trans: > > Where dreams are fulfilled, where hearts melt > > Come, let us go there, that land is not too far > > Friendship will be there, light will be there > > to light this place, many lamps have been burnt > > We might as well be one of them > > Two more steps, all right IV > > > > After this narrative, the string section returns with the conga drums, > > but the background synth sounds fade out almost to a nightly silence, quite > > appropriately setting up the mood for the next verse. > > > > Lyrics: > > Kisiki awaaz hai? Sun. Yeh naya saaz hai, sun > > Koun rehta hain sada? chalke dekhen to zara > > Raah viraan, sahi, raath sumsaan, sahi > > Har ghadi saath rahe, kitne gham saath sahe > > Thor ghum aur, sahi > > Do kadam aur, sahi IV > > > > Trans: > > Who's voice is calling us? Listen. This is a new melody, listen > > Who goes on forever? Come, let's go see > > The path is lonely, agreed. The night is silent, agreed. > > We have been together all along, we have suffered so much > > Just a little more suffering, all right > > Two more steps, all right IV > > > > The silence of the first two lines is nicely contrasted with the conga > > beat picking up the momentum again for the difficult final stretch where > > 'the path is lonely and the night is silent' providing the additional > > impetus and enthusiasm needed to carry on the remainder of the journey; but, > > the most beautiful moment of the song comes during 'kitne ghum saath sahe' > > when a high pitched synthetic harmonica lingers almost clinging by a thread > > to the artist's soul, as he reaches this worthy final destination; and now > > loud and clear, the horns blow majestically, the timpani crash triumphantly, > > and a choir of angels welcomes him to this mystical place of infinite > > grandeur, sublime beauty, and immortality; and he knows that he has achieved > > every artist's dream, and that all his struggles are well worth the reward: > > he has created his own heaven in his mind! > > > > It took me, at the very least, a year to interpret all of this > > mind-blowing creativity and truly come to grips with the deeper meaning of > > the song; but after I had fully understood the lyrics and listened to the > > lingering harmonica sound during 'kitne ghum,' I knew I found the answer to > > my question: what is this lingering sorrow which ARR has in a corner of his > > heart that is essential to being a great artist? To create such heavenly > > beauty, divine feelings, and immortal masterpieces on earth, the true artist > > and the sincere creator has to remain pure and warm at heart no matter how > > vicious and cold the rest of the world may seem, he has to use in its > > fullest capacity his imaginative powers, which he knows he is blessed with, > > but requires him to let go of himself and find, and many-a-time, wait, for > > those moments of divine inspiration, knowing, still, that after all that > > mental and physical energy is spent, there is no guarantee that somebody > > would have seen, read, or heard his creation and had been able to enter his > > heart, mind, and soul and become one with him; for that is his divine duty: > > to create a spiritually beautiful heaven on earth so that even a single > > person, searching for a higher spiritual state, or maybe, hoping for a way > > out of some meaningless existence, or even just looking for a momentary > > escape from a hard day's pain, will see, hear, feel, and begin to wonder, > > how is it possible? Where is this possible? I certainly did; and to express > > my heartfelt gratitude, for ARR's 40th birthday, I wrote him this poem. > > > > A Sorrow that Lingers > > > > I look through the window; it's another cold winter morning. > > The skies are so gloomy, and I see no flowers blooming. > > I pour myself a hot cup of coffee and turn on the TV, > > but I see nothing of hope I was hoping to see, > > and when I sip my coffee, it is as cold as what I see! > > > > So I get into a hot shower, ponder the day ahead as it draws near, > > but I snap out of it before the hot water runs clear. > > I jump into my driver's seat, crank up the engine, > > and while it warms up, I slip in my favorite CD. > > > > Tinkling drops of water, a saccharine female voice, > > little splashes of water, and then a Ghattam grooves with spice. > > I feel a cool shake on my shoulders, and a snappy tap on my fingers > > my heart is full of warmth and I am already in motion. > > > > Then a moment comes which words cannot describe: > > a man leaps in joy and I feel its vibe. > > I too cry my heart out for I long to feel that joy, > > it sends a thrill up through my spine, and I know very well why > > > > I see a 13-year old boy in shorts and shirt on a new day to start. > > He's got a spring in his step, and a cassette in his hand, > > no, he had a Rose in his hands, and it had bloomed in his heart. > > He puts it in play and says, 'dad, that's A.R.Rahman!' > > > > I wake up to the calling of a soothing voice, he says > > 'Zindagi haath mila, saath chal saath me aa, umra-bhar saath rahi he.. > > Do kadam aur sahi, do kadam aur sahi, > > do kadam aur sahi, do kadam aur sahi' > > > > And I am in motion again as I hear them beckon, > > those crashing timpani and those majestic horns, > > to a golden land where there's friendship and light > > and to the peppy conga beat, I forget life's plights > > and take two more steps with renewed delight > > > > I never knew a sorrow that lingers > > could bring this much happiness > > until I heard the beauty of your wonder > > and felt the depth of your greatness > > > > . > > > > > > > > > > *" *The *search* is more important than the destination " > > - a r rahman - > > > > ------------------------------ > > Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your > > homepage.<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51438/*http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs> > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live. Get it > > now!<http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008> > > > > > > > > -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC