Envision the auditorium filled with passionate applause, cheering & ovation for the man himself “Allah Rakha Rahman” and his troupe of astounding singers & musicians…..it was definitely a dream come true to be part of such an overwhelming concert….the experience, the event was just outta this world!
Music is such an overpowering medium to express one’s feelings, heart and soul….songs with lyrics that touch our souls are few and far in between lately, oh well who said I don’t enjoy the “mass” songs ;-)…..Great music in any form is welcome…
I was introduced to Rahman’s music with Roja and was completely mesmerized with the soothing music & passionate lyrics full of romance ….”Kaadhal roojave, enge nee enge” still being one of my fav songs…Moving on, keeping track of Rahman’s music is kinda one of my hobbies……I gotta admit that I don’t fall in love with all his compositions at first, albeit his music grows on me…….and once it does…….I worship his compositions….period!

Late entry and missed one of Rahman’s mind-boggling compositions “Jaage Hai” from the movie Guru…nevertheless the night started with “Khalbali hai Khalbali” and what dya think……Rahman was at his best and khalbali mach gayi. Thundering atmosphere, thanks to over 13000 crazy fans in tandem with the lights, music and the AR magic brought out the madness in me.

Hariharan is one gifted fella; his construal of the original compositions is too good to be true. His “Tu Hi Re” from the movie Bombay was electrifying and his adaptation of “Yeh Hairathe” from Guru had the crowd going gaga. The melodious “Kabhi Neem Neem” by Madhusree, the heart-felt "Ek Onkar" & "Kannalane" by Chitra….the poignant "Naina Neer Bahay" by Sadhana Sargam were a treat for the ears.

The crowd roared with delight and were up on their feet for the adrenaline pumping and over-the-top soundtracks like "Chaiyya Chaiyya" by Sukhwinder, "Rang De Basanti" by stunner Aslam Khan, and "Humma Humma" by the music maestro himself.

Rahman’s “Dil Se” conquered many hearts. The mysterious “Maiyya Maiyya” singer was superb and with her latka-jhatka, she enthralled the masses. "Roobaroo" by Naresh Iyer was stupendous and "Athiradee" from the movie Sivaji was definitely the highlight of the show.
The sight of Sivamani playing his drums was unbelievable, we were left gasping for more…..
The rapper, Blazee was full of energy and the crowd couldn’t help but follow the cheerleader, in the real sense! The grand finale with "Vande Mataram...Maa Tujhe Salaam" transmitted patriotism in every Indian present at the Nassau Coliseum!

Rahman fills his craft with engaging rhythms and evocative lyrics; unmistakable zeal resonated throughout this concert. Although an extraordinary entertaining musical escapade spanning three and a half hours, Yeh Dil Maange More!

Long Live the Man……Ahem!!!

Never paid too much attention to the concept of “long weekend” back in India, but here in the US, long weekends are long-awaited. Long weekend in western countries is merely a weekend that is at least 3 days long; doesn't that sound ephemeral these days anyway?

As my thoughts wander down the memory lane, ironically I detested weekends as much as I pine for them now. In retrospect, be it school, junior college or undergrad, I only remember yearning for the weekend to avoid being part of tormenting lectures or to hang out with friends. Paradoxically, nothing can override the fun we back-benchers had in college.

Isn’t Saturday an effectively functioning day back in our homeland, then why this fuss out here? From planning classy retreats beforehand to absolutely being lackluster, from counting days for THE weekend to hardly working a week prior to the weekend, from building castles in the sky about how amazing a weekend it would turn out to be; albeit, whining about the fact that it will be long obsolete makes not only the long weekend more stimulating, but also brings life to the monotonous and mind-numbing work culture.

Browsing through the “1001 places to see before you die”, I wonder if these long weekends will suffice. Regardless, weekends are heaven, longer the better, what say?