Oscar Thamizhan 'Isaipuyal' AR Rahman News/Updates

**A.ANAND** · 27th September 2013, 02:26 PM

A.R.Rahman ‏@arrahman 6时 The unplugged performance of Nenjukulle from Kadal on MTV Unplugged has been nominated for the #mtvema 2013...

**Google Adsense** · 27th September 2013 02:26 PM

**Brianengab** · 28th September 2013, 12:35 PM

Don't know how far the good road will get attention at the Oscars : Credits - TOI

**A.ANAND** · 30th September 2013, 02:56 PM

Songs & the man
Rehna tu, hai jaisa tu... A fanboy’s message to A.R. RAHMAN in the run-up to celkon RahmanIshq on October 1, in partnership with The Telegraph

Sometimes a photograph, sometimes a scribbled noted on a book or a poster, sometimes a phone conversation or text, journalists keep souvenirs too. Sometimes to flaunt on Facebook, sometimes just as a fanboy, sometimes as a story for the grandchild. I have saved one email which has just one smiley, with a space between the colon and the close bracket. The date: February 22, 2009. The sender: A.R. Rahman.

From the plastic box audio cassette of Thiruda Thiruda, available at Melody after many a request, to the tune in the Kochadaiiyaan trailer, I have stalked Rahman ever since I can remember. Ever since that unforgettable piece of prelude seamlessly seeped into the crevices of the heart in Roja’s Yeh haseen vaadiyan. I have sourced the opening credits music of Rang De Basanti, the background score of Dil Se, the space shuttle theme of Swades, the Bombay theme piece specifically used for the jingle of the French mineral water brand Volvic.

As a journalist, I have interviewed him many times — upfront, on the phone, from airports, on Skype. Arguably India’s biggest export to the international entertainment space in the last decade, Rahman’s (almost) always been an email away. Yes they come at strange hours of the night but that is when the man works, works out those soul-stirring melodies. I had to check with him for a pre-concert chat and he was there again on the other end of the line.

“It had to be Calcutta... such fantastic memories,” he said. “I keep talking about it in every city I go... even when I am in the US or the UK. One of the most amazing audiences ever. I am really looking forward to the concert this week.”

Rahman is coming to Calcutta just because of those memories –– his first ever concert was here, The Telegraph Unity of Light Concert –– while the other venues for RahmanIshq were picked because they are otherwise overlooked in a multi-city tour like this.

“The other three cities (Vizag, Jaipur and Ahmedabad) have been chosen because they are sometimes ignored,” he said. “They are not first priority for a show like this. But the people there have given my music so much love and they deserve to experience this show as much as people in New York and London.”

And “the Mozart of Madras” has reserved something special for every city this time. For Jaipur, the concert will highlight royalty, for Ahmedabad folk dance will come to the fore, for Vizag mythology will be the key element and for Calcutta, it will be a celebration of literature.

So will he do more of Tagore, like he did for the Independence Day special on MTV Coke Studio, singing Chitto jetha bhoy shunyo... to his own tune? “I would love to... we are working on it... I can’t reveal anything more at this stage,” you could hear him smile.

But Rahman did explain his decision of singing in Bangla, where his pronunciation went all over the place and wasn’t quite the Tagore tribute one hoped. “I was actually moved by the lines... Tagore was such a great visionary,” he said. “We wanted to do it entirely in Hindi but Prasoon (Joshi) said that I can’t translate it and if I try and interpret it, it would be blasphemy. So, he only asked me, why don’t you sing the lines in Bengali? That was his idea. With me coming from another part of India, the pronunciation of the Bengali words were a bit off. Some people loved it, some people hated it.”

I still can’t get over how he soared on the Calcutta stage for the 2009 concert. To the rousing choral chants of Jaage hain from Guru, Rahman had appeared from below the stage. That small innocuous little man looked bigger than that huge Salt Lake Stadium stage. The next couple of hours were spellbinding, music pouring out from everywhere and how.

“Concerts in a way bind the audience and they experience what is behind the music,” Rahman described. “Because as far as my music is concerned, I don’t expose that much how I make my music. In a way, my concert is like getting to experience the best of me and my musicians and entertainers and all the people who have been involved with me for years, live on stage.”

Rahman’s got an uncanny sense of humour, which can be subtly sardonic when he wants it to be. “I remember when I started out so many people were saying that I don’t do anything and the computer does everything in my music. That thought has stayed on in the minds of some. So when they see and hear me performing live in a concert, that changes the whole perception.”

Also, in a Rahman concert you get very different versions of the original songs, whether it’s Hariharan singing Tu hi re or Rashid Ali singing Kahin toh or Rahman himself singing Dil se re. That impromptu jamming with Usha Uthup at the last Calcutta concert was such a treat for everyone.

“Somebody else can’t take my song and change it but since I have done the song, I have the liberty to see what else is possible to do with that song,” Rahman’s tongue was again firmly in his cheek. “Also, what I feel on that particular day, that’s most exciting. So no two concerts are ever the same. What Calcutta will experience, will not be what Vizag will get to see and hear.”

Every time the man takes the stage or the microphone, his tags, his awards, his stature just keep multiplying. But when he creates that new infectious tune or lets loose that magic voice, none of that plays on his mind. As he himself says, it’s music that binds the A.R. Rahman of the 2003 Calcutta concert, the A.R. Rahman of the 2009 Calcutta concert and the A.R. Rahman of the 2013 Calcutta concert.

“All I know is that I still do music. And I wish to do more. Better things. Wish to refine myself more. Music is the most important part for me. As long as I am gravitating towards more music, the tags don’t bother me. As long as my commitment towards music remains the same, nothing else matters.”

Rehna tu, hai jaisa tu... Thoda sa dard tu, thoda sukoon.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/113092...p#.Ukk-fzdLRH7

**A.ANAND** · 1st October 2013, 02:48 PM

Beyond Do Re Mi

AR Rahman’s brainchild, the KM Music Conservatory, now known as KM College of Music and Technology (KMCMT) is formalising education in music (theory, history and performance), a field where there are only a couple of other contenders in the country. Wanting to leave a legacy and bring talented musicians to the fore, the KM Music Conservatory was started in 2008 in Kodambakkam (home to many film studios) here in a multi-storey building. Due to space restrictions, the institute moved to Vadapalani in August. The new facility also houses the Sunshine Orchestra, which nurtures talented children from underprivileged backgrounds and KM Studio for film and band recordings and sound design.

Seeking to challenge the set conventions in the music industry, this academy is one-of-a-kind. KMCMT offers music education to all ages and abilities, seeking to highlight the role of creativity in learning, awareness and opportunity. The institution is tied to Middlesex University, UK, which brings a hierarchical structure to the teaching and learning of music, which is relatively new in India. Adapting those structures to India — finding the connections and crossing points between Indian film music, Hindustani, western classical music is where the challenge lies.

Fathima Rafiq, executive director of KM and AR Rahman’s sister has a dream for the students who enter their portals. “I want them to make the most of their stay here, dedicate themselves to the subject of their choice, make the most of the facilities at KMCMT and have a positive attitude to life. Learning and goodwill must go hand in hand. It is a great learning experience for students and faculty members alike.”

Academic coordinator for the institution, Adam Greig, is happy to have moved to Chennai from the UK. “It’s a very unusual project — teaching Western classical music in India and to promote it as a staple education along with Hindustani and Carnatic music. You never know what to expect.” Adam began playing the piano when he was six months old and has completed his PhD in music theory analysis and performance at Lancaster University, UK. “I focus a lot on the theory and analysis of music. People usually consider music as having a practical basis only and don’t take musicians very seriously. There is a much wider context to music, which we are introducing here. There are specialized classes that teach the historical side of music, how to do job presentations, and complex analyses that involve maths, reasoning, etc. It goes beyond the Do Re Mi..”

The man behind it

AR Rahman requires no introduction. He began KMCMT to “develop and nurture an education in music for all who have the passion and to create an awareness of Western classical music and music technology while fostering learning and growth of Indian music traditions. Through KMCMT, we want to provide students with a strong artistic, intellectual and technical foundation for pursuing professional careers in music. We are offering programmes designed to cultivate individual excellence, a collaborative spirit, cultural exchange and creativity.”

In the course of his interaction with students, Rahman notices, “They all want to find answers according to what’s in their minds, or seek answers from friends and anyone who is willing to teach them. I sometimes learn from them. These are interesting episodes.” Students strive to become like AR Rahman when they join his school. Parents too share this dream for their wards. His take? “I want them to be better than me. So we provide them with things they did not have access to. Their job is to raise the standard of music in India.” Students who graduate from KM also get to audition for the KM Symphony Orchestra.

Academic programmes

The foundation programme is for 16-year-olds and is a one-year course, designed as a pre-university course. Adam comments, “It is important because Western classical music isn’t taught uniformly in India and we try to bring students up to speed in an intense one year. With 22 hours of lecture per week and 20-25 hours of self work, we bring the students up to speed. It’s a full-time commitment. It’s amazing how the students take to it and the knowledge they assimilate. Once they get used to the routine and mould, their development takes off.”

Sound technology room. They currently have 40 students. The two-year diploma programme is for ages 18 and upwards. They follow the guidelines set by Middlesex University. Students can specialize in piano, percussion, strings or vocals. Adam is candid when he says that the eligibility to get into KMCMT is the desire to learn music and knowing English. Students are asked if they can make the transition from just enjoying the music to spending their entire lives doing it. “That is where the difference lies. When you spend all your time and odd hours with music, it changes your perception of it and life,” says Adam. They also have part-time preparatory programmes for people — one-year and seven-month courses.

Philip Taylor is a musicologist from UK with 15 years of teaching experience and teaches chamber choir. He says, “What I’ve seen in India are students with a drive to learn and with more respect for their teachers. We keep adapting and changing our curriculum, creating from scratch, confronting assumptions and perform.”

Munna Shaokat Ali is a lyricist and composer, proponent of Hindustani classical and Qawwali and Sufi ensembles. He is the president and founding member of Amir Khusro Sangeet Academy and has written Piya Haji Ali for the Bollywood film, Fiza. Witnessing a new group take to some of Rahman’s compositions like Maula Maula and another like Tumsa Koi Nahin under Munnaji’s guidance was an experience the writer can never forget — soulful and energetic. They inform me that every performance begins with a Sufi ensemble.

Also getting to witness piano recitals under the guidance of Prof SuroJeet Chatterji (alumnus and the recipient of the highest degree from the Moscow Conservatory) brought tears to the eyes of spectators who lost themselves in renditions of Yanni and Chopin. A popular culture is that of students turning instructors at KMCMT.

Senior manager Jyoti Nair, who has been with the institute from day-one is a vibrant lady who is a performer herself and immerses herself in the day-to-day running of the place and students. “The students have a learning environment that is free. They get to learn from different teachers who have different styles and strengths. They get to make their own path in the world of music.”

Infrastructure

The new facility that was inaugurated on August 9 by Mukesh Ambani is spacious, well-designed and equipped. With lecture halls, performance rooms, round acoustic rooms for practice, floating percussion rooms, a sound technology room, keyboard labs where students can practice with earphones on, library, listening rooms, it is every musician’s dream space.

The building is designed to take in between 300-400 full-time students. The KM music library has a diverse collection of musical resources from the Indian and Western musical traditions. In addition, students have access to 40,000 musical recordings, Wi-Fi and student study areas.

Fee structure

The preparatory fee structure per course per year for Chatterji’s Piano Studio is Rs 85,000, Western voice for around 68,000, Hindustani voice and instruments for 56,000. The foundation fee structure per year is Rs 5 lakh. Scholarships are based on means and merit.

Experience

Adam’s goal is to create an understanding of the importance and opportunities in the creative industry. That also includes a number of rounds of convincing parents about performance, teaching and the ample opportunities in the field. Surprisingly, a large number of their students are engineering dropouts.

Students get a bit of a reality crash at some point because all come here with the aim to become rich and famous. Once that’s done, they find their niche and work towards it to have a satisfying career in performance, teaching, composition and the works. The varied backgrounds of their faculty members give the students an exposure and understanding of what options are available to them.

Students reach out to their professors from 7am to 3am in the morning, apparently. “And if there is no response, they track us down on Gchat or Facebook or in person!” says Adam. That is the level of curiosity and enthusiasm witnessed there. Knowing they are behind in terms of a global knowledge level, they will do everything they can to get up to speed — even demand classes during holidays. They are exceptionally serious and focused. “I don’t think I can go back to lecturing in the UK anymore. You have to fight, persuade and encourage them to learn, with very little respect and high expectations for teachers. Here, I have to try and force them away from me sometimes to get some time off,” he laughs.

A student from the first batch, Altamash Bin Shakeel Ansari came from Allahabad to learn piano here in 2008. He completed the foundation and diploma programmes and headed to Middlesex to complete the bachelor’s degree in Piano Western Music Performance, all on scholarships. He, along with vocalist Abhinav Sridharan, from KMCMT also created a fusion of Opera music with Indian elements. They have performed for BBC and toured India and Germany. They are back now to teach at KMCMT.

Adam tells us, “Rahman keeps a check and is actively involved in even picking out the décor. He helps bring in industrial connections, to take Indian musicians to the international platform. He makes sure he spends time at least twice a year with students. Students like Abhinav have also performed with Rahman at different shows.”

These youngsters get to work on public concerts, corporate events, competitions, composition, jingles, launches, festivals, and what not! They are encouraged and taught to practice yoga, have had lectures on performance injuries and are in general, moulded to become better musicians with a healthy mind and body. There is never a dull moment on the premises, the writer noticed. Musicians like Hariharan, Leslie Lewis, Palakkad Sriram, Rajesh Vaidhya, Jean-Francois Gonzales-Hamilton, etc, also conduct workshops for students. Turning into a landmark for learning music in the country, this institution is nurturing talent, bridging differences and paving the way for an invaluable experience.

— preethi@newindianexpress.com

**A.ANAND** · 2nd October 2013, 03:24 PM

AR Rahman in conversation with Debjyoti Mishra

**A.ANAND** · 3rd October 2013, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by A.ANAND

AR Rahman in conversation with Debjyoti Mishra

intha interview-la 'lensu-ikku' velai illaya???chappu innu poche!!akkarayila irunthu ododi vaanga rasakala!!!

**JamesDap** · 3rd October 2013, 09:38 PM

What, you seriously believe that WCM and counterpoint didn't exist in Indian film music before Rahman's time? I didn't want to discuss this, but since you asked, I shall gladly oblige. We know which music director has punctuated a majority of his songs with intricate counterpoint and it's not A R Rahman, unfortunately.