Hi all, Thanks a lot for all your wishes & comments and thanks especially for helping me relive those precious moments...
One of the things I missed out in the previous mail was that I got the album cover of my Vande Mataram Cassette autographed by Rahman sir. It said, "All the best - A.R.Rahman". Needless to say, I will treasure this autograph upto the end of my life. I consider it to be very special since I got in on the cover of one of his most original, thought-provoking and path-breaking Musical ventures. We could nt take loads of pictures as it was a hectic schedule for him and we were asked to not disturb him too much. Still we managed to click a couple as a group hurriedly just before he left for the Airport. He was on his way to Toronto for discussions regarding the Lord of the Rings Musical. Rahman sir spoke to us about his experience in the Bangalore Concert. He said that it was heartening to see fans brave pouring rain n remain until the end of the concert. He said, "They were standing with folded chairs covering them from rain. I felt all the more motivated to do my best". He also told us about the Australian Concert and that some well-known ppl like Baz Luhrmann (director of "Moulin Rouge") and former Australian captain, Steve Waugh were there in the audience. Speaking more about concert experiences, he said that he was always nervous on the day of concerts about how well the events would unfold and sequence of songs be maintained. When asked if there was any stage fright, he said' "No. its just about how well the entire show runs. Once a singer finishes a song, the next singer should come in on stage in time since it is all in a pre-determined sequence". He also said that he would be touring the US again in 2006 for another run of concerts. Some of the topics we spoke about included his upcoming movies. He sounded upbeat when he said that Sivaji would be his next major release in Tamil. he rued the fact that some movies like Godfather were still unreleased for so long. But he said that there were "A lot of movies coming up..." and "It all depends upon the budget. If the budget is good, I can work longer and produce better Music. Now and then people get disappointed about my Music. It is all about time and budget. The expectations are getting really high". I replied to this, "Actually, we are part of those expectations". He came up with his trademark giggle for that. He had felt so comfortable with us that he started having a general conversation with us. He probably forgot the fact that we were his die-hard fans at the end of the day! An American Music Student who had apparently worked with Rahman sir earlier in Chennai was travelling with us. On the way to the Airport on the first day, she kept telling repeatedly that Rahmanji was very shy and it would be difficult to keep him engaged in a conversation. On the contrary, she was amazed at the ease with which the Maestro jelled with us in conversation. He joked with us about a lot of things, teasing my friend who was driving (calling him "kanjoos" for driving much slower than the speed limit) n what not... There were 2 concerts - one by the Voice Ensemble of Miami University (they also sung 3 songs of Rahman sir... Zikr, Dol Dol n Chale Chalo) n the other by Global Rhythms. It was a moment of pride for every Indian present there when he was introduced as the Chief Guest for the concerts. He thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience of attending the concerts and being amidst students from India n especially not being a Celebrity all through. In fact, he even told my prof (whom he is good friends with) that he would love to extend his stay if not for his pre-occupations in Toronto. In fact, Rahman sir would be joining us again, come April 2006! This time, I m told, he would be performing along with the orchestra here. It is going to be another awesome experience... I m sure. My first experience with the Legend showed me what being down-to-earth was. He was humbleness personified and that will remain etched in the minds of many fans like me even long after his musical journey, which I hope would never end... Long Live A.R.Rahman... Regards, Chiranjeevi Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
