Amazing write up. It took me a couple of readings to fully understand the
context. But then, doesnt everything so pure take time to sink in?


On 2/18/08, 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
>
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