A R Rahman - the inspiration

One of the few pleasures in life is getting to listen to a new song that really provides you with the variety you are seeking (usually when you are tired of listening to the old songs).

I am listening to the songs of the film Highway and after a long time A R Rahman’s songs have that instant connection which make it a favourite on your playlist.

Let me declare I am not an expert in Music, (and one of the reasons primarily is because the snobbery around music pisses me off).   I wouldn't know the difference between a riff and a ditty or a ballad and a song, or hell, even between pop and rock n roll!

But there’s where folks like A R Rahman come in.  Its simply nice to meet a music director who can cater to every need be it the Hollywood producers or the westend musical producers, or the ones in south India who want to produce a rural themed film or even one with digital superhero.  

There is a special quality that his songs and scores have in elevating our soul to connect to the supreme consciousness.

One looks forward to A R Rahman’s songs just like the next novel from your favourite author . There’s a fairly high likelihood that it would provide me a good deal of relief and even pleasure for a long time as I savour it.

But A R Rahman means a lot more than that, and merely being a good music director.

Everytime I return to India, the energy of the youth is inescapable – you can feel the buzz the moment you land and walk through the airport into India. The next couple of generations after mine have already taken over, even before my generation has begun to hand over its reins. You can see them having taken over the media and as far as social media goes, their domination is complete and total. I love it, and they provide hope and already show the change that India is looking for.

Part of the pathways for this were created by the generations that were active in the last two decades of the last millennium (including mine - A R Rahman is a couple of years younger to me!)

A R Rahman has gradually changed the musical industry in many many ways especially in discovering new talents and nurturing the finest vocalists, as well as collaborating with some of the finest exponents from different genres. He also has started a school in Chennai where bright students work hard in a curriculum as heavy as an MBA course, in achieving a degree in music.

A R Rahman to me represents the finest and is today the standard of excellence that an Indian can achieve in a global arena. And that’s why he’s not merely a music director but also such an inspiration. Winning the Oscar was just the beginning

So as I play any song from Rahman, I can be in any part of the world, and I can see folks around me start tapping their feet to the songs beats or freeze in absorption of its soulful melody. It usually leads to a discussion and then a request, saying can I copy that song.

And then you pause and think, if Rahman represents an excellence that the new generation can achieve, we are in safe hands…