Enjoyed every bit of your write-up Phani gaaru! You definetly have a great
potential to reach to a very commendable position..!Will always hum your song
"Ghal Ghal Ghal........Sirimuvval..." :)
--- On Fri, 8/13/10, fani kalyan <rythmdivine2...@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: fani kalyan <rythmdivine2...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [arr] Phani Kalyan about AR Rahman & KMMC
To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, August 13, 2010, 4:10 PM
Thank you so much
--- On Thu, 8/12/10, Gayathri Chandrakasan <gayathri_c...@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Gayathri Chandrakasan <gayathri_c...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [arr] Phani Kalyan about AR Rahman & KMMC
To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2010, 8:02 PM
Amazingly written Phani, enjoyed every moment of reading it. Your
feelings about KMMC and ARR are expressed genuinely and beautifully in this
writeup.Through your write-up, I noticed how dedicated and passionate you are
to your music, may this dedication and passion of yours enable you to reach the
"moon" as predicted by ARR! May God bless you always!
P.S: I've just got the oppurtunity to listen to your Pappu. Great job, will
definitely about this in my next mail.
P.P.S: Thanks Vithur for sharing this with us!
--- On Wed, 8/11/10, Vithur <vith...@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Vithur <vith...@gmail.com>
Subject: [arr] Phani Kalyan about AR Rahman & KMMC
To: "arrahmanfans"
<arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 10:48 PM
There are certain experiences in life that change you as a person and
help you grow into a better individual. For me, these defining
experiences happened during those years that I was a student of AR
Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory.
As I look back on that journey that has evolved me into making music
my life and profession I feel KMMC happened a little late in my life
but I strongly feel it couldn't have come at a more right moment than
this. I had a keen interest in music since childhood, listening along
with my grandfather to his thousands of carnatic collections including
M.Balamuralikrishna, Thyagaraja, Ramadas, and many Annamayya
Keerthanas and instrumentals. I recall composing rough tunes for fun,
even before I started learning music formally. But it wasn’t until AR
Rahman
happened, that my
passion for music grew beyond words. I became
a devout fan of Rahman Sir ever since Bombay had released. I remember
skipping my school continuously to go to the theatre where Bombay was
being played just to listen to the music and the background scores.
And with each of his releases after that, his music became a daily
fuel for me.
I had completed my Engineering degree in Chennai and was working a
mundane software job. Of course, my body was there, but my ears, mind
and thoughts were just tunes, melodies, rhythm and one man- AR Rahman.
So when I heard news that Rahman Sir was going to open his own music
school here in Chennai, which offers courses in western classical
music, various areas of music technology, instruments, and vocals, I
thought to myself, “If I wanted to give my passion for music a chance
to grow and give a chance to live my dream-job as a composer, THIS was
it.” And what better
opportunity to learn at an institution developed
by a man who I worshipped and looked up to for so many years. So
without hesitation I applied for an audition. Now I wasn’t at all sure
I would get in and did not even tell my family or anyone else about
applying to the school. I thought to myself by auditioning I would at
least catch a glimpse of the school and studio, and if lucky catch a
glimpse of Rahman Sir. So I was super surprised and was just in utter
disbelief when I got that call of acceptance and my family was even
more shocked when I told them that I am going to resign my job and
join KMMC. So here I was literally on cloud 9, about to begin a
journey that I had only dreamt of all these years.
In KMMC I took western classical vocals and composition as a major
with a prior knowledge in carnatic vocals and keyboard. As soon as I
entered the conservatory compound on the first day, I could just
feel
the aura of positive energy all around. The school had almost like a
homely and soothing atmosphere with wooden floors and furniture,
accented with warm curtains, large middle-eastern rugs, a beautiful
grand piano and a picture of Rahman sir's father in the main reception
area. More than this it was my fellow classmates from all corners of
the world, and the amazing faculty that made those years the most
memorable.
Moreover, being part of KMMC I saw Rahman Sir in a whole different
light, and my respect and devotion towards him grew to infinite
lengths. During the first week he came and interacted with us in
person and asked us our ambitions and goals. I still remember when I
asked Sir at that time to hum a few lines of New York Nagaram, what he
said in response will forever stay with me. He said. "Guys don't stick
only onto New York Nagaram, music is beyond the regular commercial
cinema. Make your
mark, aim at the moon..at least you will reach the
stars" .I was amazed at the fact that no matter how busy he was, he
used to attend almost every student recital and concert that we used
to have at KM. He used to listen to us patiently and give us
suggestions, advice and clarifications on any doubts we had with so
much patience. And in case he was unable to make it to an event, he
used to send us a sorry note. I was just amazed that a man who is such
a prominent society figure, a pioneer in popularizing indian music to
globally, western music to the east, a musical magician, behaved so
simple, so friendly and so down-to-earth. He did not even behave like
a principal to us; he was more like a friend and even used to call
some of the students with nicknames. For instance, whenever I used to
see him, he always used to smile and greet me with a simple ‘Hey, Hi
Man’ even before I said anything. There are just no
words to describe
his modesty and humbleness.
Also to add, there is a government school near the conservatory. KMMC
provides free music education to 40 students there, and Rahman Sir
makes sure that they are all taught with equal interest and respect
like any one of us. Another valuable thing that I have observed is
that more than talent, Rahman Sir gives importance to behaviour and
character. For example, after one of our outdoor concerts when we met
him he told us, ‘I heard you guys did a great job, but yet to know
about your behaviour there.’ I was absolutely taken aback and thought,
wow this man amazes me each time I am in his presence. And just being
in his presence you learn so much about how to better your self as a
person, how to dedicate yourself and focus on the work you do at the
same time try to think and better the lives of others.
KMMC definitely helped me grow as an individual and at
the same time
it helped me broaden my horizons as a musician and gave me greater
exposure to different styles and forms of music. Meeting and working
with classmates and faculty from various parts of India and different
parts of the world, gave me an opportunity to come to know different
genres of music. My special thanks to Kavita Baliga, who was my vocal
mentor. She was a constant support and motivation for me. The
techniques she taught me in regulating my vocals from nasal to normal
range with so much patience, I will never forget. Also I am grateful
to her in choosing me for the KM Chamber choir. These lessons and
techniques I still carry with me in any recent work I do. Moreover,
the best aspect of KMMC is that with the diversity of students and
musical backgrounds they come from, there is constant exchange of
knowledge happening throughout of different people’s experience with
music of different genres
and styles. And we constantly used to have
jam sessions where we blend all our ideas and feels of different
styles, creating a totally new flavour of music. Ironically, my first
full song composition was dedicated to Rahman Sir for his birthday; a
song titled Rahe mahan Rahman, which with a team of some of my KMMC
classmates, was able to produce and personally present the CD to him.
>From then on wards, our team started making more and more music. In
fact, the entire team behind my soundtrack for PAPPU, including almost
all the the singers were my classmates from KMMC. I feel without them
Pappu would not have been possible. I feel I was truly blessed to work
with such talented people who I considered friends more than
colleagues, who I had such good rapport, trust and comfort level with
so early on in my career.
phani kalyan
My most memorable moments at KMMC:
1. During the beginning
days of KM I had performed a western piece
in front of AR Rahman Sir, and I was very disheartened when he
remarked; ‘Oh you sang in an Indian way of Western’ with a laugh. And
then he suggested a few artist and albums to listen to, and how to
adapt to the western classical way of singing. Then, after training at
KM, I had performed another western piece at the KM Annual Day
function, and after that Rahman Sir himself shook my hand and said
‘Hey! Great performance Man!’ I was literally in tears and this was
definitely the most happiest moment in my life.
2. The two day recording sessions of choir for the song
"Maaralante" from the movie PULI in AM and Panchathan studios. This
was the first time I had an opportunity to enter Panchathan(his
residence/studio- where the magic happens). The divine essence of the
place and spiritual calmness I felt just cannot be described
3.
Performing with the KM Choir at the AR Rahman Unplugged Concert
in Delhi for Doordarshan's 50 years celebrations. It was an absolute
honour and privilege to share the same stage and also learn and watch
ARR perform so closely.
4. After coming back from winning the Golden Globes, when the
whole world was waiting to wish him. We were so blessed that he first
came to meet us and we were the first to congratulate him on his big
win, which would soon after become a streak of wins.
So here I am, looking back on this remarkable journey filled with
lessons for a lifetime. I can proudly say that the knowledge,
experience, and the many musical friends that I have gained in these
past 3 years in KMMC cannot match any other formal training one might
acquire. I feel very blessed that I got an offer to debut with my
music in the recent Telugu movie PAPPU(Thanks to my producers). KMMC
exposed me to this
wonderful world of music, which I continue to dive
into deep and discover each and every day. It has definitely given me
a platform to embark on a new journey as a Music Director to explore
and give something unique to the industry and to music. I am now
eagerly looking forward to making my mark in this industry and hoping
that I get some interesting projects and movies to work on.
Thank you Rahman, Thank you KMMC
Listen to Phani Kalyan's song Rahemahan Rahaman at
http://soundcloud.com/ kalyanyaman
You can reach Phani Kalyan at
phani dot gangaraju at gmail dot com.
-- http://idlebrain.com/news/2000march20/phanikalyan-kmmc.html
regards,
Vithur
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