Do post how it was for you, for me it was something like this.... 1. ARR Won Golden Globe, then BAFTA... no direct telecast on my TV so got the news from Gops and Yahoo group.
2. For Oscars, sat glued to TV and cheered for all SDM awards, the Icing on cake was ARR's TWIN TRIUMPH, the first for Indian MD. Went around town for 2 months with Colored photograph glued to car's window of ARR holding the Oscars...... 3. Heard CONNECTIONS and felt that ARR must compose more such independent albums. This is the best of ARR's non-film album so far. My mother listened to CONNECTIONS and could sleep without medication. Such is the power of ARR's compositions......... 4. Pune welcomed ARR for the press conference in the first week of May ahead of the 31 May Jai Ho concert. Thanks to some kind hearted souls, I could participate as official representative of Yahoo Fan group and got chance to ask questions to ARR. 5. The Wandering Souls "RAHMANIA" team was invited to participate in the Drummers sequence for the 31'st May show. We had to arrange everything from drums to special costumes to practice and arrange 24 drummers, all this in 7 days flat. The group took this challenge and did really well in the practice and the final performance. 6. The RAHMANIA Pune team has undivided attention of ARR during practice and when the group practiced CHALE CHALO, ARR was was visibly pleased with the synchronisation and the efforts. He made us practice 3ce for Azeem-O-shaan medley and pumped us to add more attitude. In the end seeing our floored faces, he ensured that we get a break and told us to come fresh for the final concert. The icing on the cake was watching ARR singing "KESARIYA BALAMAWA.. PADHARO MHARE DES" just as the sun was breaking on 31'st May morning, with nothing but he and his Harmonium.... That voice is still in my head ! 7. Final Concert time, during Jiya Se Jiya our dear SIVMANI appears on stage from nowhere and jams with ARR and the RAHMANIA drummers. All performers can't believe their twin luck of performing with ARR and Shvmani together ! We further play on AzeemoShaan and JaiHo+Vande Maataram medleys, due to time constraint they chop off Chale Chalo ! 8. After concert over, ARR comes to us and poses for Group photos with sincere enthusiasm. The organisers, artists also come to us on their own will and congratulate us for the efforts and for the costumes. We all are happy that our efforts are noticed by the top-notch artists. We get special blessings from ARR's mother. 9. On July 11, tragedy in home, lost my father. On July 18 TWS performed "RAHMANIA" in the city of CHINCHWAD with new songs and new sound system and the programme is a massive massive hit ! ARR's soulful music performed by TWS team helps me overcome the loss of my father. Further another group ROOBAROO performs ARR songs in UNPLUGGED Format in Pune ! Their first show. 10. Couples Retreat and Passage OST are released and it is clear that Rahman is equally at ease in Hollywood. Liked the songs especially "PASSAGE" is much more than expectations..... typical melancholy / sad strains in that music, associated with ARR's sound. 11. TWS goes to INDORE to perform RAHMANIA concert. They come back with stories of being mobbed after their concert. The audience could not let them go... 12. ARR gets Grammy Nomination, no doubt that he will get it and that will be probably the first ever MUSICAL GRAND-SLAM by an Asian Music Composer for Mainstream Hollywood movie. TWS already has plans in place to celebrate this grand-slam by performing a special concert in Pune in Feb. Twelve months... twelve stories..... all so important that can't forget this year ever...... best regards Dinesh Vaidya TWS Rahmania, Pune
