Putumayo World Music has come out with a project called India: A Cultural Journey, an innovative book that represents Putumayo’s first foray into publishing. India combines photography, travelogue and cultural exploration. This book presents a whole new way of traveling the globe, Putumayo style. it is published in conjunction with a "CD collection showcasing India’s rich musical variety, from traditional and acoustic music to Bollywood and electronica. India’s emergence as a global economic power has brought increased awareness of this extraordinarily diverse country’s multicultural offerings, its music foremost among them."
The following is taken from their website
India’s thriving popular music scene—an adjunct to the country’s immense Bollywood film industry—is highlighted on this collection. The love ballad “Tere Bina,” from last year’s blockbuster Guru, was written by acclaimed film composer A. R. Rahman and features Chinmayee, the award-winning female playback singer (an artist who records the songs that actors lip-synch).
Feels nice to see my name in this list :)
Friday, February 27, 2009
Aahaa Kaapi Klub with Chennai City Corporation Commissioner
was a huge hit. The Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Lakhani, (not Lakhoni please) said he had never faced so many calls before. He probably spoke to about 60 people on the show today. As for the comments that have been registered here, I shall be forwarding them to the Commissioner immediately.
One thing that I noticed was, as soon as he took calls and the songs went on air, he utilized that time to call his people and act on the issues immediately. And before the show was over we had one caller who conveyed his thanks saying his issue was promptly addressed and that the AE had called.
As for the spitting and littering, the thing he said was if the people of Chennai decided to keep it clean then no one can stop them. Now what do you think does? As citizens, if we see someone spitting on the roads, lets make sure to tell them not to, even if we are abused in return.
Our forefathers went to prison and had to face so many atrocities to make India free. Don't you think you can take just a few retorts to see our city cleaner?
Anyway, if you have issues, make sure you go to http://chennaicorporation.gov.in
One thing that I noticed was, as soon as he took calls and the songs went on air, he utilized that time to call his people and act on the issues immediately. And before the show was over we had one caller who conveyed his thanks saying his issue was promptly addressed and that the AE had called.
As for the spitting and littering, the thing he said was if the people of Chennai decided to keep it clean then no one can stop them. Now what do you think does? As citizens, if we see someone spitting on the roads, lets make sure to tell them not to, even if we are abused in return.
Our forefathers went to prison and had to face so many atrocities to make India free. Don't you think you can take just a few retorts to see our city cleaner?
Anyway, if you have issues, make sure you go to http://chennaicorporation.gov.in
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Special on Aahaa Kaapi Klub tomorrow
For a few weeks we have been having the real important people of Chennai city on my show on Aahaa FM.
Sri Nataraj, DGP (Prisons) and Additional Commissioner of Police Mr Sunil Kumar were on my show taking calls from the general public.
On that note we shall be having Mr. Lakhoni, Chennai Corporation Commissioner on our show tomorrow.
If you have questions to ask him, please post them here, and I shall make sure they are answered. As for the server it is going to be down. Aahaa FM will not go live for quite a long time.
Sri Nataraj, DGP (Prisons) and Additional Commissioner of Police Mr Sunil Kumar were on my show taking calls from the general public.
On that note we shall be having Mr. Lakhoni, Chennai Corporation Commissioner on our show tomorrow.
If you have questions to ask him, please post them here, and I shall make sure they are answered. As for the server it is going to be down. Aahaa FM will not go live for quite a long time.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Blaaze Speaks
Loved this post at BlaazeSpeaks
And also agree on the part where he writes about a certain write-up. When I read that in the papers I knew it was far from the truth. Wish some 'journalists' or maybe I should call them, wannabe-s would find something better to do or clean up their act
And also agree on the part where he writes about a certain write-up. When I read that in the papers I knew it was far from the truth. Wish some 'journalists' or maybe I should call them, wannabe-s would find something better to do or clean up their act
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Oscar
There I was screaming on my Radio show the moment it happened. I was absolutely sure He would bring it home, was just wondering whether it would be one or two.
I wasn't nervous, tense or whatever else everyone asked. I was not even waiting with bated breath. I was cocksure and when it happened it was a wish of all of us that came true. It cannot be otherwise. Thats all
Since morning I, like a lot of other singers have been deluged with calls for video and sound bytes from various Radio stations and News Channels. His winning two Oscar awards has put all the musicians and singers working with him on air expressing how we felt. Especially those from Chennai. As far as I know CNN IBN and NDTV have been featuring a lot of us from here.
Rahman Sir was bound to bring it home, probably it was just a matter of time. And again, its just a matter of time before he wins the maximum in that too, the way he has established records with Indian awards of having set a record of winning the maximum, I know that's a fact with the Filmfare.
This is definitely one of the beginning stages for the ear drums of the entire world as long as sir's music is concerned. Just about the beginning.
I wasn't nervous, tense or whatever else everyone asked. I was not even waiting with bated breath. I was cocksure and when it happened it was a wish of all of us that came true. It cannot be otherwise. Thats all
Since morning I, like a lot of other singers have been deluged with calls for video and sound bytes from various Radio stations and News Channels. His winning two Oscar awards has put all the musicians and singers working with him on air expressing how we felt. Especially those from Chennai. As far as I know CNN IBN and NDTV have been featuring a lot of us from here.
Rahman Sir was bound to bring it home, probably it was just a matter of time. And again, its just a matter of time before he wins the maximum in that too, the way he has established records with Indian awards of having set a record of winning the maximum, I know that's a fact with the Filmfare.
This is definitely one of the beginning stages for the ear drums of the entire world as long as sir's music is concerned. Just about the beginning.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
My Interview in The Hindu
on MetroPlus Weekend dated today. All thanks to Sudhish Kamath for such a wonderful interview. And his bosses who thought I was worthwhile to be written about.And here it is.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Continuing
The topic today on Aahaa Kaapi Klub,why is it that the products manufactured in India do not have the ingredients listed on the label?
Are there no laws governing that or is there a loophole for that as well?
Are there no laws governing that or is there a loophole for that as well?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Update
Aahaafm.com is not going to be live for quite a while. So there is no way of listening to us from this site. But I do know that there were other sites which used to feed what we play. I am not sure of these URLs and how they function.
So the thing is, if you are able to locate these, stay tuned is all I can say.
Thanks for your support and cooperation.
So the thing is, if you are able to locate these, stay tuned is all I can say.
Thanks for your support and cooperation.
Aahaa FM Dot com
Is under maintenance. To everyone following the channel from your countries, sorry that you couldn't hear us. Aahaa Kaapi Klub had a pretty explosive week I must say. Wish you could have listened in.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
My tryst
With Amar Chitra Katha continues. I wonder if there has been any award / recognition given to Anant Pai yet. If not, its a huge mistake. I would know zilch of Mythology or Indian history, if not for ACK. I have probably mentioned this before.
Yes, I did go to school and study history, but the way it is presented in our books, it can be promptly forgotten. I did well and had loved history in school maybe only because of ACK.
I purchased a few more titles recently and was reading about the Indian freedom struggle and so many other things involved with it. The wierdest thing was, I came to infer that the reason for the country being taken away from us, our independance taken away, we have none else to blame but ourselves. Even in ancient history, if great Kings and leaders had fallen, some traitor had been bought over by the enemy. And much later, it seemed to be the case with Tipu Sultan (and a lot more, but this one is on top of my mind because I have just about finished reading it), he was betrayed by his most trusted aide. Even now the reason our country is the way it is, we again have only ourselves to blame. We are not civil. We do not follow the rules. We defile the roads. We allow corruption to thrive. No use blaming some politician or some government servant. We don't raise our voices against injustice. So many people. One of the most peopled countries in the world. And we remain silent to injustice.
So many times on my show on radio, the defeat of Lok Paritran as a party came up. The point is everyone kept talking about "kalla" vote. A lot seemed to praise the Lok Paritran. But the point is they had a huge defeat. Why?
Sometimes I think that the Indians as a whole are very emotionally stirred and spurred to action, sometimes for the right cause and mostly for the wrong. Especially in the name of religion and more recently, language, its so easily achieved. The Sri Ram Sene apparently has a very powerful leader that he got those part of his movement to do something as appalling as raise their hands on women and some men. And this is the country which says women are to be worshipped. Such hypocricy thrives. And we the people of this country are just plain shameless. Also, someone brought this to my notice. The media was present because they were apparently tipped off or were informed properly that this event was to happen in that particular pub. The police asked why they were not informed. Now what kind of a shameless media was that, they wanted to cover all those people being beaten up, they allowed it to happen so that they can flash it on their channels and make a lot of dough. The police, I hear, said that they'd have prevented the whole thing. Now I wonder whether the SRS actually paid the media for publicity and for not calling the cops. Because like they say, nothing like negative publicity eh? How has this country, with boasts of a huge cultural ethos allow the flourishing of such people? (read: News guys at the Mangalore pub event). Guess most channels are in the race to become headlines themselves. Every channel and its grandfather covered this atrocity. How do they watch AND cover all this. Can they not prevent it? They probably left their spines at home, coz they have to draw a salary? Or go higher in their ranks. Yes I am angry cause there were people who watched the women being beaten, covered it and telecast it on national TV. And allowed shaming the country on a world platform. And I think, it could have been prevented. Sure, correct me if I am wrong. Or if there is some law somewhere, a loophole in the legal system that says that people can watch atrocities.
I must admit that there are several times that I wish God comes down and vanquishes evil and all the wrong-doers. Since a lot of times I have heard that the politicians with honest service in their minds are not allowed to survive.
We had the DGP (Prisons) Sri Nataraj on my show. And so many people called to complain about this and that, about the implementation of the laws and even why people have not stopped spitting. How someone should be posted everywhere to levy a spot fine. Why the hell should the Police come and tell you not to spit and levy a spot fine? Don't they already have enough things to do? We have read so much about the police force being short staffed and ill equipped. And you'll be appalled to know about the monthly wages of an average policeman in this country. Have you bothered to know? Have you bothered to even care for the Traffic cop inhaling all the fumes from your cars and bikes, standing all day in the hot sun and you drive like a mad thing, in an A/C car, coming from an A/C house, or a hotel and you hurl abuses at how he cannot do his work. Have you stopped to probably buy a bottle of water for him? Or anything else? Can't someone in this city follow something that is called the law? Of course immediately the blame game starts on the very next beat. Very Nayagan style. Ask them to do that and then I will do this. Deeper and deeper do the people of this country go into the quicksand of making excuses. The DGP said one thing, which was almost a refrain. "We need the cooperation of the public to create a peaceful, just society". Is it not our business to make sure that the police have no work to do by being law abiding citizens?
We are not fighting any foreign ruler right now but I think the country, OK let me not say the country, I have not traveled its length and breadth, let me just say that the people of this city are involved in a mass civil disobedience. For what joy?? Search me. I am without a clue.
I also wonder if its because there are several first generation vehicle riders in the city now that they want to show the world that they own it, in their own sort of way by handling their vehicles that way. So should we wait for the insolence of this generation to tide over?
Probably there should be another Independance struggle. And this time, we should probably struggle to be free of the endless coils of crap we have allowed to be spun around ourselves - by others and by us as well, because many a time it has seemed convenient.
When I see someone spit on the road, I tell them not to. Some don't say a thing, some abuse. Which is typical. After a point its tiresome.
I wonder now, what the people of this city need to behave and be proper human beings instead of acting like the apes. Why insult the apes? Perhaps they are better. I wonder what this city needs. A capable leader or God. I also think the people as a whole have enough in the them to terrorize a God as well. So maybe neither. It seems hopeless sometimes.
So to a certain lot of shameless citizens of India, don't you dare blame corruption, red tape or the politicians. You are worse than all of them put together because you, the Indian citizen have allowed a crappy society to thrive.
But I think I am going to take the path of this Mr Traffic Ramaswamy and file one Public Interest Litigation case after another. The first thing I am going to see if I can bring about a ban of blaring the horns in the city by filing a PIL.
Yes, I did go to school and study history, but the way it is presented in our books, it can be promptly forgotten. I did well and had loved history in school maybe only because of ACK.
I purchased a few more titles recently and was reading about the Indian freedom struggle and so many other things involved with it. The wierdest thing was, I came to infer that the reason for the country being taken away from us, our independance taken away, we have none else to blame but ourselves. Even in ancient history, if great Kings and leaders had fallen, some traitor had been bought over by the enemy. And much later, it seemed to be the case with Tipu Sultan (and a lot more, but this one is on top of my mind because I have just about finished reading it), he was betrayed by his most trusted aide. Even now the reason our country is the way it is, we again have only ourselves to blame. We are not civil. We do not follow the rules. We defile the roads. We allow corruption to thrive. No use blaming some politician or some government servant. We don't raise our voices against injustice. So many people. One of the most peopled countries in the world. And we remain silent to injustice.
So many times on my show on radio, the defeat of Lok Paritran as a party came up. The point is everyone kept talking about "kalla" vote. A lot seemed to praise the Lok Paritran. But the point is they had a huge defeat. Why?
Sometimes I think that the Indians as a whole are very emotionally stirred and spurred to action, sometimes for the right cause and mostly for the wrong. Especially in the name of religion and more recently, language, its so easily achieved. The Sri Ram Sene apparently has a very powerful leader that he got those part of his movement to do something as appalling as raise their hands on women and some men. And this is the country which says women are to be worshipped. Such hypocricy thrives. And we the people of this country are just plain shameless. Also, someone brought this to my notice. The media was present because they were apparently tipped off or were informed properly that this event was to happen in that particular pub. The police asked why they were not informed. Now what kind of a shameless media was that, they wanted to cover all those people being beaten up, they allowed it to happen so that they can flash it on their channels and make a lot of dough. The police, I hear, said that they'd have prevented the whole thing. Now I wonder whether the SRS actually paid the media for publicity and for not calling the cops. Because like they say, nothing like negative publicity eh? How has this country, with boasts of a huge cultural ethos allow the flourishing of such people? (read: News guys at the Mangalore pub event). Guess most channels are in the race to become headlines themselves. Every channel and its grandfather covered this atrocity. How do they watch AND cover all this. Can they not prevent it? They probably left their spines at home, coz they have to draw a salary? Or go higher in their ranks. Yes I am angry cause there were people who watched the women being beaten, covered it and telecast it on national TV. And allowed shaming the country on a world platform. And I think, it could have been prevented. Sure, correct me if I am wrong. Or if there is some law somewhere, a loophole in the legal system that says that people can watch atrocities.
I must admit that there are several times that I wish God comes down and vanquishes evil and all the wrong-doers. Since a lot of times I have heard that the politicians with honest service in their minds are not allowed to survive.
We had the DGP (Prisons) Sri Nataraj on my show. And so many people called to complain about this and that, about the implementation of the laws and even why people have not stopped spitting. How someone should be posted everywhere to levy a spot fine. Why the hell should the Police come and tell you not to spit and levy a spot fine? Don't they already have enough things to do? We have read so much about the police force being short staffed and ill equipped. And you'll be appalled to know about the monthly wages of an average policeman in this country. Have you bothered to know? Have you bothered to even care for the Traffic cop inhaling all the fumes from your cars and bikes, standing all day in the hot sun and you drive like a mad thing, in an A/C car, coming from an A/C house, or a hotel and you hurl abuses at how he cannot do his work. Have you stopped to probably buy a bottle of water for him? Or anything else? Can't someone in this city follow something that is called the law? Of course immediately the blame game starts on the very next beat. Very Nayagan style. Ask them to do that and then I will do this. Deeper and deeper do the people of this country go into the quicksand of making excuses. The DGP said one thing, which was almost a refrain. "We need the cooperation of the public to create a peaceful, just society". Is it not our business to make sure that the police have no work to do by being law abiding citizens?
We are not fighting any foreign ruler right now but I think the country, OK let me not say the country, I have not traveled its length and breadth, let me just say that the people of this city are involved in a mass civil disobedience. For what joy?? Search me. I am without a clue.
I also wonder if its because there are several first generation vehicle riders in the city now that they want to show the world that they own it, in their own sort of way by handling their vehicles that way. So should we wait for the insolence of this generation to tide over?
Probably there should be another Independance struggle. And this time, we should probably struggle to be free of the endless coils of crap we have allowed to be spun around ourselves - by others and by us as well, because many a time it has seemed convenient.
When I see someone spit on the road, I tell them not to. Some don't say a thing, some abuse. Which is typical. After a point its tiresome.
I wonder now, what the people of this city need to behave and be proper human beings instead of acting like the apes. Why insult the apes? Perhaps they are better. I wonder what this city needs. A capable leader or God. I also think the people as a whole have enough in the them to terrorize a God as well. So maybe neither. It seems hopeless sometimes.
So to a certain lot of shameless citizens of India, don't you dare blame corruption, red tape or the politicians. You are worse than all of them put together because you, the Indian citizen have allowed a crappy society to thrive.
But I think I am going to take the path of this Mr Traffic Ramaswamy and file one Public Interest Litigation case after another. The first thing I am going to see if I can bring about a ban of blaring the horns in the city by filing a PIL.
Monday, February 02, 2009
And I had a Blast!
Right from the time we drove to VIT with Mukesh anna to catching up with Benny, Naresh, Naveen S P Charan and Prem G before the concert it was awesome fun. I think more than anything else its the galatta that all of us do backstage and that somehow translates to the performance vibe as well. Venkat Prabhu was also supposed to be a part of it but he fell sick. And it so happened that Charan asked me to co-host the show with him for a wee while until Badava Gopi took over. I never host / present live shows. That's not something I want to do. I have probably refused scores of requests to host.
I was originally supposed to be doing a couple of my songs, considering there were a host of performers. And then I sang along with Benny and of course "Where is the party" is my favourite-est song to perform. That song is so much fun. Must say that the student committee was extremely hospitable and took super care of us. The performances in the college arenas are a different thing altogether. There is a general feeling of positivity I think.
Manicka Vinayagam uncle was also there and I decided to take a dig at the super jewelery he wears. Enough to put any lady to shame. Especially his diamonds. It beyond whoah.
I caught up with Neha Bhasin backstage but only had enough time to take her leave. Was in a hurry to get back home since I had live radio this morning. Naresh was performing after Neha. Couldn't watch that either.
In all, awesome times. Eggs me to work and do a lot more.
And if anyone from VIT is reading this - Thank You!
I was originally supposed to be doing a couple of my songs, considering there were a host of performers. And then I sang along with Benny and of course "Where is the party" is my favourite-est song to perform. That song is so much fun. Must say that the student committee was extremely hospitable and took super care of us. The performances in the college arenas are a different thing altogether. There is a general feeling of positivity I think.
Manicka Vinayagam uncle was also there and I decided to take a dig at the super jewelery he wears. Enough to put any lady to shame. Especially his diamonds. It beyond whoah.
I caught up with Neha Bhasin backstage but only had enough time to take her leave. Was in a hurry to get back home since I had live radio this morning. Naresh was performing after Neha. Couldn't watch that either.
In all, awesome times. Eggs me to work and do a lot more.
And if anyone from VIT is reading this - Thank You!
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Performing at VIT tonight
Apparently the Riviera of Vellore Institute of Technology is quite a big deal and I am performing along with Venkat Prabhu, S P B Charan, Mukesh, Naresh Iyer and Benny Dayal tonight.
It should be quite something to look forward to.
Nothing like performing at the cultural festivals. The energy and the joy there is quite something else.
Now the universe will have to help me do well.
It should be quite something to look forward to.
Nothing like performing at the cultural festivals. The energy and the joy there is quite something else.
Now the universe will have to help me do well.
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