Dualism - My philosophy of music

Distinct, Unique, Independent. Yet Unseparable

When there is a battle or comparison between a prodigy and a skillful old-pro wizard, the battle is the winner and comparison- the loser. By no means is this article a comparison. It is again just a note of awe, devotion, reverence, respect, praise and love that I hold for these maestros. Also this is just my opinion, and it might not and more likely, will not comply with yours. When I listen to ARR, I feel he s the God. When I switch to Raja sir, I get the feel that he s the greatest. But the success of both these composers, I feel, lie in winning the hearts of listeners almost instantly, and convincing people that they are the best in business. Indian music is fortunate enough to have got Ilayaraja for the time he ruled. It was equally fortunate to get ARR at a time when Ilayaraja was leaving the stage. But on the whole, what they have given us, is a deep ocean to explore. And for us to explore, enjoy and admire every bit of it, I am afraid a lifetime may not be enough. What that has also done to people like me is, it has brought in a feel of contentment that this is all music is about, and a sense of belief that no music can be better or superior to the standards set by these two, thus making us lose out on other good music, if any. People live till their works and fans live. This makes these two legends immortal. However, if at all one wanted an empirical comparison between them, with some difficulty, thought and observation, I would confess Ilayaraja would get a few more points than Rahman. But, being a music lover that I am and a fanatic of Rahman and Raja sir, I shall be a Rahmaniac always devoted to Raja sir!

Simple. Yet Powerful. Yet Beautiful.

"Kaana thaane Kangal, Kanneer sintha illai
Vaazha thaane Vaazhkai, Veezhvatharku illai
Paada thaane Nenjam, Mounam enna enna
Vella thaane veeram, Kolvatharku illai"

Vairamuthu is nothing short of a poetic genius. And to pen down lyrics like these which live beyond decades, you got to be that. And you just cant ask more out of A.R.Rahman's soulful tune and the inspirational feel that he has given to these lines. All that is there to say is, gifted are these lines, to be given birth by Vairamuthu and to be immortalized by the maestro.

PS: I am not translating these lines cos, no way will i be able to bring out the actual feel of the lyric. And i dont wanna create a impression that the quality of these lines is average, cos its just not it So, Tams enjoy. Non-Tams, pray for another Vairamuthu to pen down in your language.

Shame on you Cricket.

Now that the FIFA world cup is done and over, we now are reassured about the fun and the excitement that the game can provide. On a lighter note, we had the Vuvuzelas, the Octopus, the Waka Wakas, the K'Naans, and the Vodafone ads to provide us with more entertainment, as if the high-intensity matches were not merely enough. A country like India staying awake to watch literally every match is a standing proof for this. That is the success of the game. It can make a country where football is played only in Computers and Playstations, follow the tournament like crazy. I feel, no other sporting game can reach even half this level. It would belittle Cricket if we compare the fan following of both the games. Half the globe doesnt even know that the game exists. All they might know about the game is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar! (For proof click "here" ). However, On a more serious note, after having looked at the intensity, patriotism, fanaticism and zeal with which the football was played throughout the tournament, the footballing nations would laugh if we told them that the Pakistanis fixed their cricket match in a WC final.

Having said all that, long live cricket. longer live Sachin :) :D

P.S: Cricket was compared to Football only cos I am Indian.