In Dubai for the first time

For the Hari Udan Naan Grand Finale. The show, conceived and executed by Subhashree Thanikachalam's Maximum Media decided they would hold the Finale in Dubai. The winner gets to win a world tour and also gets to cut an album with Hari ji.

Almost 13 years after singing in Saptaswarangal, I get to go on a trip with her. And more than anything else singing in this show is special for me. Also since one of my favorite people, James Vasanthan is also there, it promises to be a fun trip. And also special for the reason that this is the first ever time I am stepping in to Dubai. Looking forward to it.

On a totally unrelated note, I looking for western corporate wear. Any suggestions on where I can look for these in DXB?

Buying Amar Chitra Katha

I had a couple of comments asking how to buy Amar Chitra Katha. You could by the entire collection here at the online store of amarchitrakatha.com

I have ordered several titles from time to time whenever newer titles released. You could order the complete collection, which technically should contain every title of theirs, but you may verify if it really does. Nonetheless, they are bringing in older titles that have been out of print. So you may need to check once in a while. The comics are also available in other Indian languages.

Just a mundane post. Nothing spectacular. Not that I think that I write spectacularly. There are some good things going on and not so good things going on. With falling sick and recuperating and performing at the Music Academy with a recovering voice for Women's Day its been quite a time. We were all given 15 minute time slots to stick to. Which in retrospect I wonder if I should have exceeded it :P

But I loved singing numbers I have never sung on stage before. And I met a lady today that she was glad I sang something that she didn't expect I would sing. And I finally felt gratified. I believe the audience expected me to break into Kilimanjaro and Maiyya Maiyya but the concert being for charity, I felt delicate asking friends and other professionals to perform for me that day. Going into Charukesi and a Punjabi folk song, a Thumri and then finally finishing with a Mira Bhajan it was good fun. The one thing I haven't figured is how to get the engineers to give me perfect monitors on stage. Most of the time I can't hear myself sing. And I don't like the in-ears either. Anyway the issue with the monitors happened only around midway of my 15 min slot. So was pretty confident starting out. 

In between all that watching a lot of things happening around me and with people I know. And I there is a certain placidity in me that I wonder if its normal. Just watching as if it were all not even a movie. I get very involved with movies. But.. anyway. 

One amazing thing has happened professionally which I shall post soon about and how things came to pass. 

Looking forward to that experience and am prepping for that mostly. In other news, I began reading Ponniyin Selvan, something my mother has been asking me to read for ages. Blue Elephant is moving into a new office when the time is 'right'. So until the naal and kol comes together that'd have to wait. We also dubbed a 3 hour video from Bengali and Hindi to Tamil and for the first time, not being behind the mic and getting someone else to dub was an altogether new experience. Inasmuch went without sleep for 3 days, ended up hoarse at the end of it all. Slept for 24 hours with a break to eat after that marathon. There was no way we could have met an insane deadline if we didn't work that way. Anyway.......

Since I have already begun searching for words, time to end this one here.

And oh, I bought a lot more the ACKs I was missing. Now if only they came out with the ones that are not in print. Please People-taking-care-of-Amar-Chitra-Katha, bring out the missing titles. I shall complete my collection and rest in peace. :)

Nadunisi Naaygal

Delayed but as they say, better late than never.

NN was another wonderful experience of working with one of my favorite directors to work with. I went in for an audition as usual and Gautham sir decided to use my voice to dub for Sameera Reddy. Once again after Vaaranam Ayiram. At the outset however, I did not know or realize the rupture of my voice that I was signing up for  :p

Watching some of the scenes at the studio sometimes the team would watch my face for reactions. And I guess at some point they were making fun of me :p but as usual working with Gautham sir and his team was brilliant. The best thing is I get to see Gautham sir act. Not once but a few times for each scene that I have to dub for. Needless to say he lost his voice too, I noticed though I do not know, for how long.

After the last session of dubbing, my voice split. I had a concert coming up and I knew there was no hope of singing unless I limited my activities to only breathing for the days leading up to the concert. I had 6 days to go and my voice was gone. I told them that I wouldn't be able to come in and dub and they had a deadline to meet for the release. But despite that, Gautham sir understood my commitments and the priority that needed to be given to my concert which was a solo act that I had to pull off for 2 hours. I managed to do the concert and well enough based on the tweets and mails I got. But thereafter my voice headed to splitsville. Its taken an entire month to get back to normalcy and I did my first recording after this break a couple of days ago.

I remember I picked up the phone and hoarsely say "Hello?" and people would say ... umm.... May I speak to Chinmayi? :)

I might never strain my voice this to dub for a film again. My singing voice and my voice itself is way too precious to me. But it was all well worth it. And more than anything else, I wonder how many people would have accepted to my not turning up to dubbing because I had a concert, except him. 

Thanks Gautham sir!