Congratulations to everyone for making the group proud!!
--- In [email protected], Gomzy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The times of India, Blore edition. page 21 > > Mad about Rahman, dil se These fans live and breathe A R Rahman's music, > finds > Sharmishta Koushik > > It was the year 1992. The film Roja was released and with it, a new > music sensation blossomed in the Indian film industry, attracting droves of > fans, mesmerized by his melodies. Their chotti si asha is simply to have the > pleasure of listening to A R Rahman's music and perhaps, watching him > perform live, and if they were really lucky, say a few words to the musical > genius in person. Meet the A R Rahman Fans. > What started off as an e-group, set up by Gopal Srinivasan, a > Bangalore-based consultant, is, today, a veritable database of all things > Rahman. From several media interviews to rare recordings of his tracks and > the inside information on when a new album will be released, these die-hard > fans are truly connoisseurs of Rahman's art. "The intent behind establishing > this group was straightforward to use the power of the internet to network > with Rahman's fans around the world so that we could share the joy of > listening to his music. In many ways, it is Rahman himself who is > responsible for the popularity of this group his music and his appeal > cutting across barriers. I am guilty of initially under-estimating the > global reach of his music little did we realize that we would have people > from so many countries across the world joining in," says Gopal Srinivasan. And > indeed, today, the e-group has over 13,000 members. > On a rather sultry Sunday evening, a few members of the group in > Bangalore gathered in front of the rose garden in Cubbon Park to talk about > their passion. Quite befitting, considering that for most of them, their > love affair with A R Rahman's music began with the film Roja (rose), and > like his music, their devotion to his talent has only increased from > strength to strength. Says Kangan Upadhyay, who works in a software company, > "We heard the songs of Roja before they were officially released. And > although I didn't know the language, I could relate to those songs.'' > And she gives credit to the music director for her superb scores in her > II PU exam. "At that time, the music of Alaipayuthe was released, and I kept > listening to it all the time while studying. I scored 99% in Maths. I kept > humming the songs in my mind even as I was writing the paper,'' she recalls > with excitement. > The way Rahman's compositions revolutionized Indian film music is > something the fans immensely respect. "He brought in a whiff of freshness,'' > says Balaji Rajagopal, a chartered accountant. "He brought to Indian films a > sound which was, until then, only heard in jingles,'' says Chandrashekhar > Ganesh, a techie. "Earlier, viewers would walk > out of the theatre for a smoke when the songs would come on. Rahman's music > changed all that,'' says Gomtesh Upadhyay aka Gomzy, a techie. > "He's even a good singer,'' says Vithun Kumar, a BE student. Adds > Shahnawaz Gaffoor, a techie, "His music is international.'' > Not surprisingly, Rahman's concerts are always a grand event, akin to > international acts performing in India. And these fans ensure they are there > to watch Rahman live. Most of them took off to Chennai recently, when Rahman > performed there for a concert organized by The Times of India. In fact, it > was during the 2005 concert in Bangalore when the city's fans met each other > in person. They volunteered backstage and even had T-shirts created > especially for the event. > Rehearsals are when they get to interact with the maestro. Some of the > members have even met him at his residence in Chennai. "Once, I went to meet > him at his place. As he was busy he told me to come the next day. He asked > me if I was a non-vegetarian. Since I wasn't, he ensured that vegetarian > food was ordered for me,'' says Prabhu Krishnamurthy, a techie. > During the 2005 concert, they even gifted Rahman a montage of all his > album covers, about 94 both film and non-film scores. It now adorns a wall > in his studio. And needless to say, if a fan wants to meet him at the > studio, those from this e-group are allowed right in. Rahman has even > dedicated a colouring book for children, released during the Pray For Me > Brother tour, to the e-group in November, 2007. > The members definitely deserve such a token of appreciation, considering > they have taken pains to count the number of musical genres he has explored. > According to them, his music spans about 36-38 genres. > The Bangalore-based fans meet up from time to time, if someone gets hold > of the latest copy of Rahman's album or a rare DVD of his work. They > recently met to watch a behind-the-scenes DVD of the musical Bombay Dreams, > which shows Rahman actually composing some of the tunes. > "We upload rare tracks on to the website. But it's strictly for > non-commercial and private use. We always buy the original CDs of his > albums,'' says Prabhu. "And, of course, we would be the first ones to buy > those albums on day one,'' says S Radhakrishnan, a techie. At times, members > have heated debates. An unresolved one is about whether Rahman was the first > music director to use a bass guitar in his compositions. > What sustains their immense passion is not just Rahman's music but also > the person he is. As Radhakrishnan puts it, "He has never let us down.'' > > > > RAHMANIACS: These fans are devoted not just to his music but also the man > behind it >
