The guy who played to my youth...

When 'Roja' was released, the people of TN opened up with a jolt to a different kind of music - mellifluous, like a song carried to the ears by a fresh morning breeze when you're walking thru' a green paddy field..


Then came a different kind of a shake-up - 'Chikku Bukku Chikku Bukku..' moved even the most rustic into the pshycadyllic blinding lights of high voltage techno beats!

Right then on, A R Rehman has been causing people to sway - sometimes blissfully lost to the outside world with the most ethereal melodies and at other times, 'just in' and in pace with the world, with his hep and fast numbers, as if the whole word is just a discotheque.

A R Rehman is truly a phenomenon who changed the definitions of music. He walked-in right at the time when Indian market (let’s say, software!) was coming of age, the future looked bright and the Indian youth were waking up to a whole new world of possibilities and were looking for brands and identities that'll suit them in the new world.

There was a time when I used to wait for that one song of A R Rehman that'll be featured in 'Oliyum Ozhiyum' in DD. His fast numbers were the talk of the school.

In my college days, his songs were a perfect foil to express the feelings of that age - the heady hangover of more freedom, the first brush with romance et al. The deep connotations of Vairamuthu's lyrics, tuned to the most soulful music made many evenings gone in a hazy daze towards the setting sun. Songs such as 'Uyire..'(Bombay), 'Vennilave..' (Minsara kanavu), 'Narumugaye..' (Iruvar) hinted at unfelt feelings of romance and new love. They were too well accentuated with fantastic picturizations by the likes of Mani Ratnam and Rajiv Menon.

During my PG days, ARR's music, became still closer - the process of growing up into a more matured adult, becoming confident than ever before, becoming more comfortable with the realities of the world, seeking out for more mature relationships, being more affluent and being on my own - all happened to the tunes of his music. The new outlook towards life was perfectly symbolized 'Mangalayum Thandunane..' to the beats of rock drums.

Yes, Illayraja is always close to heart, but it’s also true that Illayaraja saw his dusky days after ARR's arrival. He brought in with him new sounds, new tunes and new singers - To Hariharan to Udit Narayan to Shankar Mahadevan to Sadhana Sargam and many more...

Nowadays, I find ARR's music to be clichéd, having the same kind of beats, tunes and instrumentation. Probably, it’s again a process of growing up or just say, getting older. Nevertheless, I cling on to his music that livened up my more youthful days and eagerly catch on to his latest ones. That way, he has played to a very important phase in my life.

And today's is his b'day and I'm sure hundreds and thousands of people like me would thank him for his music and would like to wish him a happy b'day and a very long life!

Hope he continues to play the fiddle for many more youngster's dreams for a very long time!! Happy B’day Dude!