Thread by @IWTKQuiz

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Aug 15, 1992 changed Indian cinema forever.

This was the day when Mani Ratnam’s Roja was released.This also marked the debut of the musical storm from Madras.

Sit back, relax, grab coffee & headphones.
A thread🧵on @arrahman's music!

While each song from Roja holds a special place in our memories, the track du jour is Thamizha Thamizha/Bharat Humko, sung by Hariharan in both Tamil and Hindi.

While the original Tamil version was based on Bharathiyar’s poetry, PK Mishra’s lyrics truly gave it a pan-India feel

Listen to the song with the lyrics in this video. Truly goosebumps inducing.

ARR’s forte is to bring a sense of thematic unity to diverse influences, a fresh sound for the ages.

His skill at feeding influences from the West back into classical Carnatic and Hindustani traditions was apparent even with his early ad jingles.

One of Rahman's first national TV appearances was on the beloved show Surabhi, a celebration of India and Indian culture by
@renukash and @sidkakspeaks.

They called him Abdul Rahman throughout the show!

Since we are talking about nostalgia, do you folks remember this bit of awesomeness from the Spirit of Unity Concerts for Universal Integration on Doordarshan?

The theme music, in case you didn’t know, was by ARR. #90sIndianTV

His initial days in Bollywood were with the lyricists PK Mishra and Mehboob. Working with the constraints of lip sync on a dubbed film was no easy task.

Yet, there were unforgettable lines like ”Agar azaadi na ho to, Swarg milne se hoga kya”

The line “Tu hai raat Diwali ki, woh Eid ka chaand lage” in Bombay’s Kuchi Kuchi Rakamma, led to Mani Ratnam telling @MehboobKotwal “You wrote the story in one line”.

Sir, you also summed up the idea of India in that same line.

In 1996, Shankar’s Indian/Hindustani featured the Rahman number Kappaleri Poyachu.

The song has the unique distinction of being set on midnight, August 15, 1947, where revelers take to the streets at the moment when “India awoke to life and freedom”.

The other special thing about this track? It features snippets from both Vande Mataram (around 2:05) and Saare Jahaan Se Accha (from 5:00).

And, courtesy of S Shankar, morphing VFX that showcases Indian diversity.

On August 15, 1997, the 50th year of India’s independence, ARR became Sony’s first international artist with the release of Vande Mataram.

His childhood friend @bharatbala
directed the video to Maa Tujhe Salaam, still awe-inspiring 23 years on.

"Do something to sell India back to the Indians"

An ask from a freedom fighting father, was the inspiration. @bharatbala, Kanika, Mehboob, @arrahman combined to create an epic album that released #OnThisDay 25 years ago

The album featured the song Revival, a choral reinterpretation of Bankim Chatterjee’s original ‘Vande Mataram’, with Sting guitarist
@dominicMiller1, @SnakeDavis on the sax, and Sara Prosser on oboe.

(The raga for Vande Mataram? Raga Des, of course)

Of all the collaborators that Sony made available for his album, Rahman picked Pakistani artist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a strong cultural statement for its time. ARR and Mehboob travelled to Lahore to record Gurus of Peace with Nusrat saab.

The main melody of Gurus of Peace was a rework of this beauty, Poralae from the 1994 Tamil film Karuthamma.

This is the only song for which singer Swarnalatha won a National award.

ARR dedicated the song Tere Bina from Guru to Nusrat saab ten years after his passing in 1997.

The song featured singers Ghulam Murtaza Khan and Qadir Khan, sons of ARR’s own guru Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

The three main songs Maa Tujhe Salaam, Revival, and Gurus of Peace were meant to represent the three colors of the National flag. This is also reflected by the album cover, which was based on a painting by National Award winning art director Thota Tharani.

The international release of Vande Mataram had two songs, Musafir and Masoom, that were not included in the Indian version.

Here’s Musafir, a cover of Roop Suhana Lagta Hai.

While we are on that Gentleman song, you should also look up the song Pilotes Automatiques by French hip-hop group @lacaution.

Masoom was one of the tracks Rahman sang on 14th August 1997 for the official release with government officials in attendance. He performed in jeans and long hair, an image makeover that resonated with the youth of India, to whom he dedicated the album.

Over the years, ARR has crafted a number of patriotic songs that bring tears to your eyes and remind you of home.

At the very top is Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera, from Swades. Here’s the MTV unplugged version, where he segues into the Tamil version at the end.

Raj Santoshi’s Legend of Bhagat Singh stands apart, both for ARR's soulful soundtrack and history unadulterated by jingoism. Sonu Nigam’s rendition of Bismil Azimabadi’s ‘Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna’ is both restrained and heartbreaking.

For Independence Day 2013, ARR performed Jagaao Mere Des Ko on @cokestudioind. The song was inspired by the Tagore poem “Where the Mind is without Fear”, and he played the harpejji on it, an instrument that he has championed for a while now.

Another song whose lyrics are inspired by the same Tagore song is the @ImogenHeap collaboration with @VishalDadlani-@ShekharRavjiani, Minds Without Fear, used on the premiere of The Dewarists in 2011. A rare song where you hear @ShekharRavjiani's vocals.

Speaking of Tagore, did you know that Rahman used Jana Gana Mana twice in his films? The first is a technicality, a song from Mani Ratnam’s Ayutha Ezuthu that begins with those three words.

The Hindi version Yuva had them changed to Dhakka Laga Bukka.

The second time was the full orchestral version of the National Anthem for the Shyam Benegal biopic Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

Our favorite song from the Bangla-folk infused soundtrack remains Aazadi, featuring Western Choir Chennai.

Additional tidbit: The strings for the music of "Bose: the Forgotten Hero" were recorded by the Czech Film Orchestra in Prague!

A relatively lesser known fact about ARR is his collaborations with several acclaimed Indian Classical musicians. These include Bismillah Khan, Dilruba Saroja, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Kadri Gopalnath, L Shankar, Umayalpuram,
@iUGMK, to name a few (Pic credits @PlanetBollywood)

This appreciation and encouragement of Indian musicians is at the heart of the 2018
@PrimeVideoIN show, Harmony with AR Rahman, where he visited four artists from around India and collaborated with them, in real time.

This is a roundabout way of mentioning the ‘Desh Ka Salaam’ project from August 15 1999, where ARR and an incredible lineup of artists presented a milestone interpretation of the Indian National Anthem.

Trust us, you need to stand up for this one.

Thank you @arrahman - for helping us find our roots through your music, no matter who or where we are.

"எல்லாப் புகழும் இறைவனுக்கே" (EllA-p-pugazhum iRaivanukkE).

This thread is Satyajit Chetri’s brainchild and was brought to you in collaboration with our dear friends
@keshavathreya, @MusicAloud, & @_viju.
As the great poet once said, முழுகாத ship-ஏ friendship தான்“ aka “friendship is the ship that doesn't sink”