Congratulations Dinesh!!! God Bless. :-)
On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 10:10 PM, Dinesh Vaidya <[email protected]>wrote: > > > He came..... He saw us..... but He had already won us over again and again > and again............. > > I MET RAHMAN TODAY ! > > One of the BEST day in my life, I got to see my GURUJI, and got a chance to > ask him questions too ! > > Ah ! What a man ! What a Man ! WHAT A MAN ! So simple, so quiet, so down to > earth ! Every moment I watched him, was a learning experience. > > Time 11 PM yesterday - Got a call from a very dear friend . I couldn't > sleep whole night. Just the feeling that tomorrow I will be seeing him for > the first time kept me awake. > > Time 10 AM today - The call which was to get the doors opened, did not > arrive, so some more trials and I got call from the chief organiser for Pune > event. He and his support staff gave me blanket cheque to get as many fans > as possible....... > > Time 1030 to 1530 today - Phone battery ran down 5 times, so many calls > made to all known fans, so many sms-es done... for many, it was a shock of > life to know that Rahman would be visiting city. Whosoever could bunk > college / office came to the venue. > > Time 5 PM till 7PM today - MIT college students and other fans had started > arriving since 430 PM. Pune does not believe in crowding the place from > morning, so what was virtually clear space at 430, by 530 the place was > decently full, mostly the students. There was lot of entertainment with all > odd instructions belted out by the organisers and crowd controlling team. > There was a band playing MILITARY MUSIC ! Whose crazy idea was that ????? > Still Full to fun ! > > Time 540PM - Suddenly police started running here and there... A black > Mercedes came at 200kph and out came our GURUJI ! AR RAHMAN, dressed in a > black blazer looked so cool that it was hard to believe that this fellow had > done a 15 hours nonstop flight from US ! From where does he get the energy ? > > The crowd goes out of control.... everybody starts clapping and yelling.... > flashbulbs go wild.....the crowd goes even wilder..... He walks towards us > as if he is taking an evening stroll in a park.. no hurry whatsoever. > > Rahman goes inside and then after few minutes comes out in an ULTIMATE > Maharashtrian headgear called PHETA ! He looked dashing at the same time > CUTE ! > > The organisers are at it again trying to push the crowd so that Rahman can > reach the flag post and pull the chord to unfurl the JAI HO flag. He does it > in style and then also releases tricolor balloons... I could see a childlike > smile on his face, he thoroughly enjoyed releasing these balloons ! I am > sure, if his children would have been around, he would have cut a few for > them and released the rest...... > > He takes the mike and begins with "NAMASKAR PUNE !" in Marathi ! It means > "Greetings Pune".....typical to his style invites all gathered fans to see > him on 31'st in the Pune Concert and promised that he will ROCK the > show..... All in one sentence ! > > He goes inside...... > > --- > > Now I am in a soup... the organises had promised that they will take THE > WANDERING SOULS team inside, but all gone ! No soul in the sight. We resign > to our fate.... they are not lifting phones... Gopal curious to know if > things are under control and is intrigued to know that I am standing in a > queue ! > > Suddenly a kind soul Mr Moulik appears and yells for me.. "Quick, get > inside you..." I follow the leader, Anmol Bhave, Pinak Agte, Ashutosh Joshi, > Pallavi Paranjape, Siddharth Gokhale ( All Wandering Souls "Rahmania" Team > )... The moment we reach door, a policeman puts out his head from the door > and denies entry to all except me. I am devastated.... All my group outside > and what will I do inside ? I have never been to a Press Conference... > > Luckily inside the Chief of MIT College and my ex-teacher Mr Vishwanath > Karad is about to conclude his welcome speech. After that couple of persons > ( didn't knew the names as I got in late ) spoke for a minute each. Then > Deepak Gattani, the CHIEF of the Event management team gave a small AV > presentation of the JAI HO TOUR. > > The film was great ! The shots of the crowd, Rahman's innocent face singing > Jaage hai ( Probably clips from Delhi concert )...Shivmani beating drum for > Azeem-o-Shaan... The inside audience gave a standing ovation to Rahman. > > Then it was the tern of Rahman to speak... He stood up, tried to say > something but the inside students were asking for him to sing... he sits > back and makes a small opening speech before the Press reporters start > shooting their "purely vague, unresearched and basic questions" > Unfortunately it is not a rule that "Rahmaniac Press reporter only should be > sent"..... > > I raise my hand for chance to ask question... Obviously someone from stage > notices and gestures that the mike be given to me, I do get a chance and am > staring at Rahman... All are quiet and Rahman looks at me...... "YES?" he is > probably saying... > > I gather courage. > > " Dear Rahman... Welcome to Pune. I am Dinesh Vaidya and am representating > today your Yahoo group fans, and also on behalf of The Wandering Souls...." > > There is a smile ( of recognition somewhere ? ) on HIS face. I go on. > > " I have two questions.... Why is CONNECTIONS release is delayed ? Can you > do something through KM Musiq ? " > > His answer drowns in someone asking something else, I think he replied > something like " he has not decided on that yet" > > He and others gesture to the guy making noise.... All quiet again...... > > Next question " Rahman sir, could you please perform Vellai Pookal in Hindi > and Marathi in the Pune concert ? " > > My Tamil pronounciation is obviously needs correction so he asks me to > repeat the word again.... I do it 2 times.... He gets it.... Smiles even > more... The crowd is looking at me incredulously.... I guess most of them ( > except the RAHMANIA group ) does not know what I am talking and they think > that I am some inside person in his team talking in some secret language.... > > " Thats a very good suggestion.... I will certainly look into it !" he > assures me. I am floored............ > > One reporters comes to me and whisper to me to ask "THEIR" questions as by > now there is clear concensus probably that I know my RAHMAN subject well ( > compared to others ! In front of most of you, I am zero )...... > > There are quite a few questions on which Rahman answers in one word or one > sentense, what I remember is as below....Rahmans answers are not > word-to-word but generally adhering to the answers..... > > On any of the Mangeshkars performing in Pune concert > " That's a secret " > On Who will perform in Pune > " All artists are important to me and I want > all of them to come, but we will have to see who is available on that day." > On What next on Hindi / Tamil movies, will he choose projects and work > selectively > "Ofcourse I will be more choosy and selective... the present > situation does work to my favor" > On his preference working with Ashutosh, Aamir, Rakyesh Mehra, Mani Rathnam > > " I do not get chance to work in all projects, Aamir's or Ashutosh's every > movie is not with me, many factors have to come together"..... > > Abruptly the press conference is closed and all gathered urge him to > sing... He is too clever... He asks all to come to the Concert on 31'st and > promises a riot of music for 3 hours.... corrects himself and says 4 hours ! > FOUR HOURS ?????? Great ! > > Rahman, Gattani and others are whisked away by zealous guards and he goes > out through back door where the MERCEDES is parked... NEXT TO MY CAR ! > > I see him go..... I am sure, the Pune audience is in for a grand treat end > of this month ! > > I come home and can't control my emotions..... Thanks to Gopal, Vijay, > Amith and Mr Vinod Subramanian. I got a chance of lifetime to meet my > GURUJI........ > > Jai HO Rahman ! THANK YOU FOR coming to Pune... We will meet again ? > > Best regards > Dinesh Vaidya > The Wandering Souls "RAHMANIA" > Pune > > PS : Photos and a video are ready, taking expert's assistance in uploading. > I request Gopal to share the link soon. > > > -- regards, Vithur
