A. R. Rahman: The Composer, The Singer, The Patriot

This is one of my overdue posts that I haven't been able to write because I've been either ill or sleep-deprived over the last week or so. I was also thinking about writing about whatever has been happening in Mumbai, but I somehow find myself at a loss for words when it comes to expressing myself on such depressing stuff. So this is what I chose to write about instead.

With all the radio stations playing patriotic songs over the last couple of days, I noticed that, in recent times, much of the good patriotic music has been composed by A. R. Rahman. Somehow, everyone who makes a decent film about the freedom struggle picks him to do the music. Take The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Lagaan. Mangal Pandey. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero. And then there are the movies that are set in the present day, and how relevant our love for our country is in a real-world, present day scenario, like Rang De Basanti and Swades. I somehow feel that, in the music of all these and other films, Rahman has put in a lot of feeling, which makes it touch the hearts of the audience and get the film maker's message across more effectively. Even more so when he sings a little as well. Like in the Aazaadi number. Or Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera. And, of course, not to forget, the legendary, Maa Tujhe Salaam from his album that he created to commemorate India's fiftieth Independence Day. I also liked the creativity expressed in his Jana Gana Mana that he composed for our sixtieth Independence day. I somehow always feel a rush of emotions when I hear him sing these lines:

Mitti ki hai jo khushi
Wo kaise bhulaayega
Tu chaahe jab jaaye
Tu laut ke aayega

Or these:

Main gaya jahaan bhi
Bas teri yaad thi
Jo mere saath thi

Nobody else can express these sentiments the way he does. Since his debut with Roja in 1992 (which, by the way, also included one of the most beautiful patriotic tracks I have ever come across - Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyaara Hai), Rahman has come a long way. He does justice to every genre of music, be it soft, romantic numbers, or light, peppy numbers, or stage musicals like Bombay Dreams. He has been everywhere, done everything, and yet, never fails to strike a chord with his audience, never fails to please them, to give them just what they want.