Tag Archives: AR Rahman

Beleaguered tanpura makers get some support from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations

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Miraj, GOA :

Traditional makers of classical Indian string instruments worry about the extinction of their art, with little interest among the younger generation, and most of their clientele now based abroad.

Tanpura artist Altaf Mullah, classical vocalist Rahul Deshpande and Yusuf Mullah (Altaf’s father and Tanpura maker to Bhimsen Joshi).  | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

For generations, Altaf Mullah and his family, residents of Miraj in Goa, have been in the business of tuning the strings and twisting the pegs of Indian string instruments such as the tanpura, surbahar, rudra veena and vichitra veena. They are currently headed for a tour of the United States and the United Kingdom, to hold workshops on how best to keep these instruments tuned, for their clients abroad, a number that now oustrips their domestic market.

On the face of it, it seems as though Mr. Mullah and his family have negotiated the ravages of modernity on traditional businesses quite well, by shifting their client base abroad. But the story is quite different. In fact, the workshop is being sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) after a distress email from Mr. Mullah, who feared the extinction of this art of making and maintaining string instruments.

“We are the fifth generation making these string instruments. We were given Rajashray (royal patronage) in 1862, but the way things were going, this art would not survive beyond this generation. We make upto ₹500 per day, the younger generation is not that attracted to it,” says Mr. Mullah. His father, Yusuf Mullah, is a much-feted string instrument maker, with Hindustani music maestro Bhimsen Joshi having been a faithful patron.

After having knocked on many doors, Mr. Mullah wrote to ICCR president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe about the systemic and immediate problems faced by his tribe of string instrument makers. “For 1.3 billion people, and countless afficianados abroad, there are only 220 karigars (artisans), mostly concentrated in Goa or Kolkata,” he said.

Mr. Sahasrabuddhe’s response was immediate, and one of the first things he did was to set up a meeting between Mr. Mullah and the Postmaster General of India, in New Delhi. “Our immediate issue was that the parcels of instruments that we used to send abroad [which is the bulk of the business] were through speed post. The department of posts changed it from weighted charges to volumetric post, that raised our costs by three times the amount. We were really struggling,” said Mr. Mullah. The Postmaster General agreed to make an exception for the parcelling of string instruments and some relief was gained.

“Our major problems, however, remained. Our worst period was of course between 1990-2000 with the rising popularity of electronic instruments. Fortunately, acoustic sound made a quick comeback, and our business went up again, but not enough to attract the next generation,” he said.

Mr. Sahasrabuddhe told The Hindu that preserving the tradition of making and maintaining Indian string instruments was important as they were “the tangible and intangible heritage of India, and Indian musical tradition.” In fact, there is now talk of standardising a curriculum via the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for this purpose, to create a base of instrument makers, and prevent the skill from dying.

The Mullahs’ client list, ranging from composer A.R. Rahman to India’s nightingale, the late Lata Mangeshkar, to Bhimsen Joshi and tabla maestro Zakir Hussain — reads like the who’s who of Indian music.

Tanpura artist Altaf Mullah with Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Indian string instruments, especially the tanpura, have been historically referenced through much of Indian history. In his devotional song, “O Sadho”, the poet-saint Kabir draws a parallel between the human body and the tanpura. “ Yaha tan thaata Tambure kaa, paanch tatwa ka banaa hai Tambura, khaenchta taar marodata khoonti, Nikalta raag hajure ka, O Sadho” (O seekers, this body is a splendid tanpura, made of five elements, strung together with nine resonances. Tighten the strings, twist the pegs and it sings the song of the Lord).

As the irreplaceable accompaniment to the sound track of India, the tanpura, struggling for breath, was hoping to “get a ventilator soon”, said Mr. Mullah.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India / by Nistula Hebbar / December 04th, 2022

A R Rahman named ambassador of Indo-UK culture platform

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Chennai, INDIA :

AR Rahman said as an artiste, it is a pleasure to be part of an innovative cultural program that supports creative excellence and artistic appreciation; and brings diverse audiences together.

AR Rahman named ambassador of Indo-UK culture platform / Image Source : INSTA/ARRAHMAN

Music great A R Rahman has been named the ambassador of British Council’s ‘India-UK Together Season of Culture’, which aims to boost collaboration among emerging artists. The ‘Season of Culture’ that marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence was officially launched on Tuesday here by Britain’s Deputy High Commissioner to India Jan Thomson and Director (India) of British Council Barbara Wickham. Rahman said as an artiste, it is a pleasure to be part of an innovative cultural programme which supports creative excellence and artistic appreciation; and brings diverse audiences together.

“Today, creative expression and exchange can nurture young talent and create a global stage for fair and equitable access to arts,” he added.

Wickham said Rahman has been a significant adviser to the ‘Season of Culture’ and his work and professional journey truly embody what the ‘Season of Culture’ stands for – working together, and artistic output that captures the imagination of the world.

Over 1,400 artistes will showcase their collaborations to millions of audiences across India, Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, through a wide array of arts such as theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, music, architecture, design, fashion, tech-art, and new media art.

The ‘Season of Culture’ aims to build on the British Council’s work in India and strengthen India-UK collaboration in the areas of arts, English and education.

Wickham said people in both the countries will have the chance to experience innovative and exciting creative work from some of the most promising UK and Indian artists pushing the envelope of creativity and the infusion of creative tech. 

source: http://www.indiatvnews.com / India TV / Home> English News> Entertainment / by PTI / New Delhi – June 08th, 2022

AR Rahman composes anthem for global climate change

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Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

The AR app will allow people to download 3D volumetric-captured celebrity holograms and take photographs standing beside them, holding their hands.

Oscar-winner AR Rahman (Photo | PTI)
Oscar-winner AR Rahman (Photo | PTI)

Oscar-winner AR Rahman will be composing a special anthem for Hollywood music veteran and humanitarian Ken Kragen’s climate change effort.

Rahman, along with a team of international composers, will create a track titled Hand in hand for the initiative. Kragen, who was honoured with United Nations Peace Medal in 1985 for producing the charity anthem We Are the World, has joined hands with entertainment entrepreneur Neil Morgan to set up an augmented reality (AR) project named Hands Around The World.

The project aims at raising money and awareness for the cause of climate change. The initiative will be launched on April 22 next year, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

The AR app will also be launched the same day. While details about Rahman’s composition are still kept under wraps, it’s rumoured that the number will thematically be reminiscent of We Are the World.

The AR app will allow people to download 3D volumetric-captured celebrity holograms and take photographs standing beside them, holding their hands. They will then combine users’ photographs with hundreds of millions of others to form a virtual selfie chain that will become the digital Hands Around the World. Users will be prompted to spread the word and encouraged to donate towards ending climate change.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> English / by Express News Service / December 11th, 2019

A credible role model for Indian Muslims

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INDIA :

When Sania Mirza burst upon the global scene, the London-based New Statesman saw this “slender 18-year-old Muslim tennis player from India” as one of the 10 people who could change the world.

Jason Cowley, who wrote the article, believed that she had the “potential to change the world” for the following reasons: 1. She was the first Indian female tennis player to be ranked among the world’s Top 40. 2. She had made a breakthrough in sport despite coming from a country that usually discouraged women in sport. 3. She had discipline, tenacity, flamboyance. And all of this amounted to 4. She was going to “inspire a whole new generation of Indian girls”. Cowley’s article was written in October 2005, soon after a fatwa stipulated that Mirza should be prevented from playing tennis in skirts and T-shirts. Mirza instantly became a symbol of defiance, a “slender 18-year-old” girl who could stand up to Muslim hardliners. At around the same time, Time magazine hailed her as one of Asia’s heroes. AndThe New York Times said the weight of the country’s expectations rested on her.

I am at a loss to explain how or why the Sania phenomenon fizzled out in mainstream media. To be sure, she remains a remarkable player who will continue to inspire a whole generation of young women. But Mirza is no longer feted and hailed for her potentially transformative powers. I thought of Muslim role models once again when I saw the modest, self-effacing Allah Rakha Rahman accept his twin Oscars in Los Angeles.

There he was, up on stage in his very Indian designer sherwani singing Jai Ho, the song from Slumdog Millionaire. Or there he was on the red carpet with his wife, her head covered as she shyly posed for photographs. On stage, he was thanking God (“all glory and fame to God”) and his mother, talking of the path of love rather than hate that he had opted to follow. There was quiet dignity about him rather than the usual over-the-top Oscar exuberance. I suspected he would have had the same quiet smile had he lost.

Rahman is not known to be a man of many words. So, it was the subtext of what he said (or didn’t), that struck me as significant. Here was a Muslim who was confident in his identity as an Indian Muslim (in fact, with Maa Tujhe Salaam, he has done more to popularize Vande Mataram than the entire Sangh parivaar put together). Like the majority of Muslims everywhere, he believes in his God, in family values, in love and brotherhood. He was not out of place on the world stage performing with artistes drawn from all over the globe.

Rahman does not conform to any of the Muslim stereotypes. But he is undeniably an adherent of Islam, converting to the faith at the age of 21 along with his family. His views on politics are not widely known. But as a believing Muslim, he is reported to earmark one-third of his earnings to charity. Significantly, one of his first acts on returning home to India was to visit the Ameen Peer dargah at Kadappa in Andhra Pradesh to offer special prayers.

India’s Muslims have been singled out for their many unique qualities.

Thomas Friedman recently hailed the community’s decision to refuse burial in Mumbai to the Pakistani terrorists killed in the 26/11 attack. By denying terrorists the status of martyrs, the world’s second largest Muslim community was doing a “great service to Islam”, he said. Yet, one of the laments among Muslims is the lack of credible role models.

Bollywood within its secular framework has been able to throw up some figures—Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi most notably speak up for a pluralistic, democratic framework, but they’re not necessarily seen as strong adherents of Islam. Aamir Khan is the sensitive voice for the marginalized, not really a strong Muslim figure. Azim Premji is probably the richest Muslim in India but, once again, his success is defined in business, not religious terms.

In cricket, you could certainly look at the Pathan brothers who straddle both worlds—cricket and Islam. The sons of a poor muezzin who couldn’t afford even a pair of shoes, they now symbolize a can-do spirit. In a TV ad, they refer to their father as “abba”. It’s as if they’re saying, like Omar Abdullah, “We are Indians and Muslims and see no contradiction between the two.”

With his stunning Oscar win, Rahman reaffirms the same message to emerge as a new role model for young Indian Muslims. In equal parts a proud Muslim, proud Indian and proud professional, he stands as a counter to both the fanatic and the stereotype of the fanatic that many believe represent the average Muslim.

For this reason alone, I’m singing the new anthem: Jai Ho.

Namita Bhandare writes every other Tuesday on social trends. Respond to this column at lookingglass@livemint.com

source: http://www.livemint.com / Live Mint / Home> Explore> Looking Glass / by Namita Bhandare / March 02nd, 2009

Why I converted: The transformation of Dilip Kumar into AR Rahman

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Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

Becoming a Muslim gave the musician a new name, a fresh identity and a renewed sense of purpose.

Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons

When AS Dileep Kumar decided to shed the faith he was born into and adopt a new one, the reasons were several. His father’s untimely death had put several financial pressures on the family, which included four children. His spiritual-minded mother had met, and gained immense succour, from a Sufi saint, peer Karimullah Shah Qadri. And he had been grappling with minor and major identity issues: he didn’t like the name he was born with, he was looking for direction and purpose, and he wanted to get a handle on his professional future. That man is today known as Allahrakha Rahman, one of India’s foremost composers. He discusses his decision to convert and the impact it had on him in these edited excerpts from AR Rahman The Spirit of Music by Nasreen Munni Kabir.

How has Sufism affected your attitude to life?
It has taught me that just as the rain and the sun do not differentiate between people, neither should we. Only when you experience friendship across cultures, you understand there are many good people in all communities…

Did your belief in spirituality help when you and your family were facing hard times?
Yes, absolutely. My mother was a practising Hindu… My mother had always been spiritually inclined. We had Hindu religious images on the walls of the Habibullah Road house where we grew up. there was also an image of Mother Mary holding Jesus in Her arms and a photograph of the sacred sites of Mecca and Medina.

In 1986, ten year after my father died, we happened to meet Qadri Saaheb again. The peer was unwell and my mother looked after him. He regarded her as a daughter. There was a strong connection between us. I was nineteen at the time and working on a session musician and composing jingles.

Did the peer ask you to embrace Islam?
No, he didn’t. Nobody is forced to convert to the path of Sufism. You only follow if it comes from your heart. A year after we met Qadri Saaheb, in 1987, we moved to from Habibullah Road to Kodambakkam, to the house where we still live. When we moved, I was reminded of what Jesus Christ, Peace be upon Him, once said: “I wish that you were cold and hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

What I understood by His words was that it is better to choose one path. The Sufi path spiritually lifted both my mother and me, and we felt it was the best path for us, so we embraced Sufi Islam.

Were you conscious of the fact that changing your faith might affect your relations with people?
My family had started working by then and we weren’t dependant on anyone. No one around us really cared – we were musicians and that allowed us greater social freedom…

The important thing for me is that I learned about equality and the oneness of God. Whether you are a winner or loser, king or slave, short or tall, rich or poor, sinner or saint, ugly or beautiful – regardless of what colour you are, God showers unlimited love and mercy on us if we choose to receive it. It is because of our inability, our blindness in seeing the unknown that we lose faith.

On the net there are many versions of how you came to be called AR Rahman. What is the real story?
The truth is I never liked my name…. No disrespect to the great actor Dilip Kumar! But somehow my name didn’t match the image I had of myself.

Sometime before we started on our journey on the path of Sufism, we went to an astrologer to show him my younger sister’s horoscope because my mother wanted to get her married. This was around the same time when I was keen to change my name and have a new identity. The astrologer looked at me and said, ‘This chap is very interesting.”

He suggested the names: “Abdul Rahman” and “Abdul Rahim” and said that either name would be good for me. I instantly loved the name “Rahman.” It was a Hindu astrologer who gave me my Muslim name.

Then my mother had this intuition that I should add “Allahrakha” [Protected by God], and I became AR Rahman.

Excerpted from AR Rahman The Spirit of Music, Om Books International.

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> Matters of Faith / by Nasreen Munni kabir / January 16th, 2015

Yuvan is my biggest influence after AR Rahman, says composer AH Kaashif

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, , , ,

Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

KaashifMPOs09nov2018

Music composer AH Kaashif chats about his upcoming film Kaatrin Mozhi

Music has always been part of AH Kaashif, who says he was forced to learn the art form at the age of four. What initially started as entertainment later developed into passion. “I was seriously into music during Class IX. I decided that music would be my career. I completed a course in sound engineering, after which, I started interning with my uncle,” says AH Kaashif.

Not many know that Kaashif is related to AR Rahman. “It wasn’t brand ‘Rahman’ that landed me an opportunity in films. If I’m here today, it’s because of my work,” he says rather proudly. Kaashif took a detour from music to enjoy school life. But even in school, he participated in most cultural programmes. Kaashif dropped out of college since he felt it wasn’t the “right place” for him. “That’s when I began to do mainstream work for my uncle. I started working on background scores,” he says.

Kaashif worked as a music producer for AR Rahman and has contributed to the background score and songs in films like Mersal and Beyond the Clouds. His most recent work, apart from Kaatrin Mozhi, is the Vijay-starrer Sarkar.

Despite the Rahman factor, Kaashif quickly admits that he’s a big admirer of music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja. “Obviously, Rahman is my mentor, guru and everything. But in Tamil, one composer who really inspired me a lot during childhood is Yuvan Shankar Raja. He was the one who redefined electronic music. Of course, my uncle brought it in here, but Yuvan based his entire career on electronic music. Everybody knows I’m a big Yuvan fan.”

Kaashif has been releasing independent albums through social media. It was the song ‘Kadhal’ that fetched him an offer to compose for the Jyotika-starrer Kaatrin Mozhi, which is a remake of the Hindi film Tumhari Sulu.

“The producer was very impressed with my work. I met Radha Mohan later and he asked me to compose a few sample tunes. The whole process took about three months,” he says. He hasn’t watched the original version yet.

Kaashif believes there’s good scope for independent music in Tamil. However, he clarifies that it’s all about channelising and packaging stuff. “The scope of independent music is always there. For instance, Sony did an independent thing, which worked big time. When you have a brand representing you to promote your stuff, then it’ll definitely work out. But in my case, there wasn’t any brand backing me. When I put out my music, people got to know about this. In a way, everything happened in a very organic manner,” he explains, “Having a brand might ease the process. But at the end of the day, it’s about content.”

The songs ‘Kelambitale Vijayalakshmi’ and ‘Dirty Pondati’ seem to have become a rage on the Internet. Kaashif says that the former is the central theme of Kaatrin Mozhi that resonates with Jyotika’s on and off-screen persona. The composer is relatively young to process a situation like say, the romance between husband and wife. How does he manage to convert this little piece of briefing into a soulful number like the song ‘Po Urave’? “I really don’t know. In fact, it was the easiest song for me. Once the director explains the situation, I keep running it in my head. And then, I sit for composition and the tune begins to flow,” he adds.

Kaashif has signed the forthcoming Malayalam film Pathinettam Padi, directed by Shankar Ramakrishnan. He has been getting a couple of offers in Tamil as well.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Srivatsan S / November 08th, 2018

65th National Film Awards: AR Rahman bags Best Background Score for ‘Mom’ and Best Music Direction for ‘Kaatru Veliyidai’

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Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

ARRahmanMPOs17apr2018

The 65th National Film Awards were announced on Friday by Shekhar Kapur, the head of the Jury for feature films.

Music director AR Rahman has been honoured with two prestigious National Awards for the year 2018. He has bagged the Best Music Director award for ‘ Kaatru Veliyidai ‘ directed by Mani Ratnam and also won the Best Background Score award for the film ‘ Mom ‘ starring the late  Sridevi.

The 10-member-panel reportedly comprised of screenwriter Imtiaz Hussain, lyricist Mehboob, actress Gautami Tadimalla and Kannada director P. Sheshadri among others.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> E-Times – Entertainment News / News> Entertainment> Hindu> Music> News / TNN / April 13th, 2018

A Tribute to Kalam – A R Rahman Musical | GV Mediaworks

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TAMIL NADU / INDIA :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9n8l_EgCmQ

GV MEDIAWORKS

Published on Oct 15, 2017

Here is a very special tribute from team Kootathil Oruthan to the one person who, Till date continues to inspire everyone with his words and deeds and raised India to its heights – Honorable Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
 Category : Education
License     : Standard YouTube License
source: http://www.youtube.com

Resul Pookutty gets another honour

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KERALA / Mumbai , MAHARASHTRA  :

ResulPookuttyMPOs27jun2016

It looks like Resul Pookutty is on an award-winning spree. The Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire sound designer was recently honoured with yet another award.The Rocheston Accreditation Institute has honoured the sound designer with Rocheston’s Distinguished Engineer award, for his contribution to the field of sound and music in cinema.

Academy Award-winning musician AR Rahman, took to his micro-blogging page to congratulate Resul. He posted, “Congrats Resul for getting the most distinguished engineer award from Rocheston”. Rahman and Resul share a cordial working relationship.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Entertainment> Tamil / TNN / June 26th, 2016

AR Rahman to get top Japanese culture prize

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Chennai , TAMIL NADU :

ARRahmanMPOs31may2016

Music maestro A R Rahman has been announced as the recipient of Grand Fukuoka Prize 2016 for his outstanding contribution to Asian culture through his music.

As part of the ceremony, Rahman has been invited to the city to give a public lecture on “From the Heart: The World of A R Rahman’s Music”.

The 49-year-old Oscar-winning composer has been chosen for the honour alongside Philippines’ historian Ameth R Ocampo (Academic Prize) and Yasmeen Lari from Pakistan (Arts and Culture Prize) by the secretariat of Fukuoka prize committee.

The annual award, was established by Fukuoka City, Japan, in 1990 with an aim to honour the outstanding work of individuals, groups and organizations working to preserve and promote the unique and diverse culture of Asia.

Rahman started his movie career with Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film “Roja”. Rahman’s first big break in Hindi cinema came with Ram Gopal Varma’s “Rangeela”.

He is now one of the most sought after composers in India with his brilliant compositions for films like “Bombay”, “Dil Se”, “Taal”, “Lagaan”, “Rang De Basanti”, “Delhi 6”, “Rockstar”, “Highway” and “Tamasha”.

Rahman has carved an impressive career in Hollywood after composing “Jai Ho” for British director Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”, which earned him two Academy awards and a Golden Globe trophy.

Previous winners from India include distinguished names such as sitar player Ravi Shankar, dancer Padma Subrahmanyam, historian Romila Thapar, sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, Ashish Nandy, Partha Chatterjee, Vandana Shiva, Nalini Malini and historian Ramachandra Guha.

Other winners include Nobel laureates Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh) and Mo Yan (China).

source:  http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment / PTI / New Delhi – May 30th, 2016