We Knew

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It was our three-month ultrasound. We thought it would be like the movies, where you look at an ultra hi-def screen and the baby is crystal clear. It felt like a big moment. I had left work early that afternoon and was hoping to get back quickly. After all, it was just a routine visit, or so I thought. We checked in and were shown into the examination room. The nurse asked Hema to lie down on the bed. She applied gel and began moving the probe across her abdomen, looking for a heartbeat. Her reaction made us realize something was wrong. Hema and I looked at each other. The nurse didn't say anything. She simply said she would be back in a minute. We knew. The doctor came in, repeated the scan, and after a few moments told us that he was unable to detect a heartbeat. It was one of the lowest points of our lives. Three months in, we had already started imagining birthdays, schools, and family vacations. When you experience a miscarriage, it feels as ...
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New York Nagaram - Another ARR Magic


As AR Rahman came up with his latest album, Jillunu Oru Kadhal, I expected it to be just an yet another composition from the maestro. But, it turned out to be an amazing musical experience for the listeners. This album from Rahman is one of the best Tamil compositions in recent times. There are about six songs in the album, but the one that caught my attention was New York Nagaram. This song is sung by ARR himself, and the silky voice lends a soothing touch to the song. It is good to see that Rahman is singing more often these days, as we saw in Rang De Basanti and Swades. Both, Lluka Chhuppi and Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera went on to become charbusters. New York Nagaram has become a sort of anthem for the youngsters, with amazing music and unbeatable lyrics from Vaali.

The song starts off in a very unconventional mode, with Rahman lending an out-of-mode humming tune to the song. The humming is soon drowned to a nicetly by the touch of guitar, and then the lyrics flow forth in absolute clarity. The lyrics are not lost in music, as it happens sometimes. But, as long as the music is good, who is going to complain about the lyrics anyways? The perfect ebb in Rahman's voice renders a totally different setting which would have lacked totally with the purists. The modulation in voice, the synchronization, the background beats, the percussions and anything that can be thought of, has resulted in the end product being of very high quality.

This album has already hit the charts in style, and it remains to be seen whether the movie can support the quality of music. It has always been a problem for Rahman in recent times, where the movie has bombed when the music has been of exceptional quality. Bose and Kangalal Kaidhu Sei are perfect examples in this regard. Whatever may be the outcome of the overall music, Rahman as always has set a new trend with New York Nagaram, which undoubtedly is the best song of the album. The freshness in the album is sure to do well with the masses.

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 3, 2008 at 1:17 AM

    'naatkurippil nooru thatavai unthan peyarrai ezhuthum enn penna….ezhuthiyathum errumbu moikka peiyyar indru aanathenna thenna’. awesome words and perfect tune with wonderful feel.
    Now I am doubtless. Synonym of music is none but, A.R.Rahman…
    You know, this song simply takes us up away from tension. Play this song while sleeping…I swear u can feel the beautiful night skies upon u.
    ARR rocks!

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