Here is a chance for all to make meaningful discussion. I will start with my story as how I got hooked to Rahman's music......
The year was 1993, probably Jan end. I had gone to Hyderabad for office work, had some spare time so met my family friends. They recommended me to see a Tamil movie which was the talk of the town in those days. The friend was at loss of words in describing the movie and how it was different and all that. I had seen quite a few Tamil / Telugu movies till then, thanks to our old DoorDarshan who used to telecast regional movies at 1.30PM every sunday. So I ventured out to see that movie. Unfortunately did not get ticket and returned to Pune. But the name of the movie had registered in my mind. In Pune, I just casually checked with the local Video library ( remember those VHS cassettes ? ) if he has heard of a Tamil movie called ROJA. He dished out the cassette and I was on my way home. The cassette rolled on and the chase of the terrorist in the Jungles of Kashmir began with a low frequency droning sound and sudden sharp tones in between. Something registered in mine and my family's mind that this is not the standard Tamil movie, it is something different.... That day we watched Tamil Roja, WITHOUT SUBTITLES, at a stretch and understood every word of it ! There was a general consensus that the music is totally different. Over the next 24 hours, we watched the movie twice or thrice, this time for the music and Background score. The name RAHMAN had not registered in our heads even after that. Then the hunt for the Tamil Audio cassette started. I could not locate the cassette anywhere in Pune but at Mumbai's VT station, I got a cassette ( obviously pirated ) with Roja on one side and Surian songs on another. I still have that cassette with me. One year later my career took me to Abu Dhabi where I was in the midst of many Malyali / Tamil employees and got to see VCD movies of Gentleman and Thiruda Thiruda, again, without subtitles. The music of Thiruda Thiruda simply blew me away and I felt a distinct familiarity with the music. The enquiry about Music Director yielded a reply "RAHMAN". "Ah ! I have heard his music in Roja", I told my friends. My Tamil friends suddenly started taking me seriously. They got for me audio cassettes of Puthiya Mugham, Kadhalan and other movies which were released by then. I returned to India in 1997 and during my immediate business trip to Chennai, went to a Cassette shop in Adyar Signal and asked him to get me whatever cassettes he had with RAHMAN as music director.......all languages ! He enquired if I had come with enough money..... Luckily I had..... Some years after, One Chennai based friend LAXMAN introduced me to Rahman fan group and then I typed my first query on Vaishnavar audio. Since then life is a nonstop joyful journey. Because of Rahman my friends circle got expanded exponentially, Gopal, Vijay (Happy Birthday Vijay !), Sirish, Amith, Durba, entire RAHMANIA performing group "The Wandering Souls" consisting of my Nephews and Nieces, supremely talented bunch of guys led by Anmol Bhave, and all of you the face-less Rahmaniacs ! Now there is a definite purpose to living a meaningful life with Rahman around, there is a non-stop Rahman song playing in the head, the mobile ringtone is ofcourse Rahman. I found that Rahman music is a definite cure to depression...... I have not met Rahman, not do I think I will ever get a chance to meet him. But through his Music, I feel he is so close to me that if I do meet him, I will probably say " Hello Rahman ! So we meet again....." I always thank GOD for introducing me to Rahman's music........ Best regards Dinesh Vaidya Pune (22 Aug 2008)
