Sorry unintendedly missed out my sisters too. JAI HO. Niven
--- In [email protected], "ramakrisha laxmana subramanian siva gopala acharya iyer .aiyooo amma idli wada dosa sambar chatni ." <sriramiye...@...> wrote: > > You guys are totally awesome! > > > --- In [email protected], Gopal Srinivasan <catchgops@> wrote: > > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/3645226305/ > > > > Our man, Rahman > > Musician A.R. Rahman has his own Barmy Army � some 15,000 diehard fans > > who follow their idol's every move. Anirban Das Mahapatra meets some > > of them > > > > ALL FOR ONE: Members of the A.R. Rahman fan club are all pepped up > > before a concert in Calicut this year > > Just in case you thought you knew everything about A.R. Rahman and > > were his biggest fan under the sun, here's a reality check. Surely, > > you wouldn't know anything about the ad jingles he once composed for > > brands ranging from Hero Puch to Leo Coffee, would you? Or are you, > > for that matter, aware that he's lending the soundtrack to an IMAX > > production titled Heart of India? And have you the distinction of > > being physically present at all concerts the music director has had on > > Indian soil till date? > > > > Chances are you haven't. That is what makes people like Gopal > > Srinivasan and Vijay Aiyar a special breed � a breed that has been > > steadily growing for the past decade or so to now include some 15,000 > > music-crazed men and women who live, breathe and swing to A.R. > > Rahman's magic for every living moment. Welcome to the "real" A.R. > > Rahman fan club. > > > > "It's funny how a simple initiative on our part went such a long way > > in bringing Rahman fans together," says Srinivasan, a Hyderabad-based > > software professional. "All we wanted to do was form a forum where > > people could interact with one another and contribute to an > > information pool about the life and works of our favourite musician. > > But look how far it has come now." > > > > Srinivasan isn't exaggerating. Even as Rahman, who won two Oscars for > > the film Slumdog Millionaire, came to Pune last month to perform at a > > high-octane concert that marked the beginning of his Jai Ho world > > tour, the army of Rahman fans, led by Srinivasan and Aiyar, created a > > unique record of attending each of Rahman's concerts ever performed in > > India. "Some of us have even made it a point to be present at his > > concerts abroad," says Aiyar. > > > > For Srinivasan, who's now at the helm of all activity undertaken by > > Rahman's own "Barmy Army" � a name for English cricket fans who follow > > the team � the journey began over 15 years ago. As an impressionable > > youth in his late teens, he was completely bowled over by music from > > Roja, the 1992 film that made Rahman a household name across India. > > "The music was so different, so new. It hooked me so badly that I went > > mad hunting down every single bit of music that had ever come out of > > Rahman's studio." > > > > Once the Internet arrived in the late 1990s, he logged in only to > > receive a pleasant surprise. "The net was full of Rahman trivia, much > > more than I knew. Clearly, it looked like a nice platform for > > exchanging ideas, and I decided to take my hunt online." > > > > Very soon, he had struck an online friendship with Aiyar, a music > > promoter and another die-hard Rahman fan. The duo decided to form an > > online fan club to "create a forum for like-minded individuals to > > share thoughts about Rahman," says Aiyar. That was 11 years ago. > > > > "By 2000, when I joined, there were some 50 emails being swatted > > around daily among members, with crazy details and trivia about > > Rahman's music," says 28-year-old Bangalore-based software engineer > > Gomtesh Upadhye. The group, reveals Aiyar, was eventually taken over > > by Yahoo!. Recently, the group went on to open a page on Facebook, > > where the membership quickly swelled to 3 lakh. > > > > Meanwhile, other bonds were being struck. Sometime in 2003, almost > > miraculously, Aiyar boarded a flight to discover Rahman seated beside > > him. A personal bond was quickly forged. Rahman was slated to perform > > in Bangalore � the city where most of the group's fan base happens to > > be. It was a golden opportunity for the group to get involved in a > > more direct way. > > > > "We helped out with dealing with sponsors, ticketing and even > > backstage work," says Upadhye. "There were about 40 of us. We did > > everything we could do, for free." > > > > It didn't go unrequited. The group was treated to a personal > > interaction with Rahman after the show, an experience most of them > > describe as "awesome." Says Srinivasan, "We learnt that Rahman himself > > had been closely following our activity on the Internet. Since then, > > he's reciprocated with great warmth to all our activities. It's been a > > very special association." > > > > Rahman eventually invited Srinivasan and Aiyar to handle parts of his > > promotional initiatives. Srinivasan is now in charge of all content on > > Rahman's official website, while Aiyar manages KM Musiq, Rahman's > > music label, apart from doubling as his media coordinator. > > > > After Bangalore, the group has followed Rahman to all his concerts in > > India. "It's a crazy thing, actually," laughs Upadhye. "We get > > information about the concerts much before the public does. So we > > begin planning our trips and start hunting for air tickets and > > accommodation." > > > > Normally, the resident members of the city where Rahman is scheduled > > to perform are sounded out about the group's plans. "These people then > > work to organise our trips, arrange for our stays, sometimes in their > > homes. And then we assemble at the concert venue, dress in a common > > uniform (black T-shirts) that we've designed for ourselves, sing along > > with Rahman and his team through the concert and generally have a > > blast," Upadhye says. > > > > Of late, the group has even looked beyond Rahman's concerts to do a > > bit of do-gooding. "Some of us in Bangalore get together on Sundays to > > do community service and we hand out food packets to the needy," says > > Srinivasan. "On Rahman's birthday, we sponsor lunches in old age and > > children's homes," he adds. > > > > Then there are occasional meetings in different cities when the group > > gets together to discuss music, or as Bangalore IT professional Arun > > K.B. puts it, to cheer Rahman on in his quest for glory. "When he won > > his Golden Globe, we met for coffee at a Caf� Coffee Day outlet to > > celebrate," says Arun. "Then, on Oscar night, we hired an entire > > lounge bar in Bangalore, where 30 of us walked in at 6 am to watch the > > Oscar ceremony. When Rahman got the Oscars, it was like a madhouse > > inside. Everyone went crazy!" he exclaims. > > > > Some might say that's going one notch too far in the name of fanfare. > > But clearly, this group isn't listening. And given that it packs in > > enough chutzpah to stand out from rank fan clubs, it probably isn't > > caring either. Jai Ho to that. > > >
