What I Missed While Walking Past the Kanchi Mutt

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A place I passed every day without really understanding it. As a kid growing up in Malleswaram, devotion wasn’t something we discussed — it was just in the air. The smell of agarbathi in the evenings. The noise of vendors lining up on 8th cross before a festival. The quiet expectation that you showed up, bowed your head, and moved on. Ganesh Chaturthi. Varalakshmi Vratam. Deepavali. Janmashtami. Ugadi. The calendar moved, but the pattern stayed. The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham in Malleswaram was part of my daily route to school. Not something I questioned. Not something I deeply understood. Just… there. Every morning, on my way to school, I would slow down for a second in front of the Mutt. Just enough to bow my head toward Kanchi Kamakshi from outside the gate — and then hurry along before the school bell. It was a ritual for as long as I can remember. I don’t know if it came from devotion. I did it because my parents did it. The street...
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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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