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As Slumdog Millionaire eyes the coveted Oscars on February 22, thousands of tsunami victims in this part of Tamil Nadu are praying for music maestro A R Rahman's success, fondly remembering the healing touch he brought about in their lives in the aftermath of the tragedy. Days after the tsunami attack, Rahman made a rare public appearance in July 2005 at Kottucherrymedu village near Karaikal and spent nearly 10 hours there, enthralling tsunami survivors with his music. Though no publicity was given to the visit, thousands of tsunami survivors from about 11 fishing hamlets gathered there to listen to him. When Rahman arrived at the village along with Drums Shivamani and popular singers Hariharan, Karthik and others, about 600 school students gave him a warm welcome by singing patriotic songs composed by him. A large number of fishermen had gathered with garlands and shawls to present to Rahman. Later, he performed a two hour open air concert. Speaking to the media, A M H Nazeem, leader of the opposition in the Puducherry Assembly said he did not believe it when told Rahman was in the area. "When I went there, he was standing in the beach interacting with the survivors. For the performance, there was no stage, no loudspeakers - absolutely nothing," said Nazeem. Rahman asked the people to bring three boats and kept them upside down, which then became the stage. He had brought all the musical equipment. "Then it was non-stop music for more than four hours," Nazeem said. Not only did he enthrall the villagers with his music, but also went for a boat ride with them. Accompanied by Nazeem and other fishermen, Rahman ventured into the sea in a fibreglass boat. While addressing the crowd, Rahman said he had come to the village on his own to bring happiness to the troubled hearts through music. He urged them to forget the sad memories of the tsunami and march ahead with courage and faith towards a bright future. Today, nearly four years later, people of the 11 hamlets are grateful for his gesture. The news of three Oscar nominations for Slumdog Millionaire has made them extremely happy. "We are all praying that he wins Oscars in all the categories," said Senthil of Kottucherrymedu. He said the youth of the village planned to put up digital banners in praise of Rahman.
