Post-Oscar Madness/MLK Concert

The staff at Panchathan helped set up the movie screening room at AM Studios so that the staff, students and faculty could watch the Oscars on the big screen. Everyone showed up at 6:30 am to watch but I didn't make it there till 9 am because I was just exhausted from all of the rehearsals and planning and organizing going on at the same time for the MLK concert. I got there at the perfect time though because just as I arrived, Rahman won the first of his two oscars for Best Score! Shortly after the first award he won the second for Best Original Song from a motion picture. What a victory! Everyone at AM was jumping up and down, crying, shouting, screaming.... the students were hugging each other and one of them even fainted. I'm not kidding. Fainted.

Immediately after he won the second one everyone ran outside to shoot firecrackers and light crackers on the street. There was cracker residue all over the place and the media was eagerly waiting outside to get interviews and tape the reactions of the faculty and students. I saw a couple of videos online - some of them are pretty skeptical of the school in general but some of them were quite nice:

The link feature never works when I use my mac. Copy and paste the link to watch the video: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/video/video.aspx?id=57552

The first video shows me looking really tired during our Jai Ho rehearsal. The second video shows all of the media waiting by the gate and then taking pictures of the French girls Claire and Vivienne who were standing with my student Ginu. And this one is funny because it shows me on the phone - and you can tell I'm saying "Bye Ma!"



The hysteria died down by Tuesday but Rahman was supposed to come early Wednesday morning and I knew it would be totally crazy again. Up and down the streets, people put up huge billboards with Rahman's face on it and the staff hung lights one after the other attached to florescent light sticks to make it look like the entire street was covered by a glowing tent. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay up all night and attend the festivities but from what I heard, it was total madness. People were tripping and climbing over one another to get a look at Rahman when he entered the gates; the fans were euphoric and shouting Jai Ho!; the media was aggressively trying to get as many close-ups as possible, and although the police were there, they just joined in instead of trying to keep everyone calm! It was 6 am when everyone finally left Panchathan.

I haven't talked to Rahman yet, but I'm sure he's on Cloud 9.....and extremely exhausted.
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MLK Concert -

The concert was pretty wild. The last two weeks have been filled with total chaos. Absolute. Total. Chaos. I have never been a part of something so disorganized, so last-minute, or anything so stressful. I ended up having to help plan events, follow up on schedules, confirm sound requirements, organize the transportation of instruments, organize meals for coffee/tea for the musicians etc. etc. etc. I could just go on and on. Anyone who has organized anything in India, I'm sure, can understand how crazy things can get here. I'm just going to assume it's the place and not the people. How hard is it to be organized? The sound check which was supposed to take an hour ended up taking 6 hours. Why? I have no idea. Not a clue. I understand going from 1 hour to 2. But 1 hour to 6??????? I wanted to rip my hair out by the end.

Somehow, everything managed to come together at the end. The concert started with Mr. Vairamuthu doing a dramatic reading of a Tamil poem he wrote for the occasion followed by the KM faculty playing the Bombay Theme. Then the students sang Jai Ho which was followed by Kamal Hassan reciting Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech "I Have a Dream." Kamal Hassan then introduced Martin Luther King III who talked for a little bit about what it means for him to be living in this time today; a time that his father could only dream of and is now a reality. I came in at this point and conducted the song Vaishnava Jana to with the choir and instrumentalists and then we finished the program with We Shall Overcome which ended up being a hit! The program was only an hour long and everyone afterwards really seemed to enjoy it. ARR's sister Rehana came up to me afterwards and said she's a music director as well (I had no idea) and she said she would love to have me sing for her sometime. She asked if I sing Jazz and I'm thinking, "well, actually not at all." But I said "Of course I do!!! I'm available any time!" So that's pretty cool.

I've also been hanging out a lot with ARR's manager Noell and his wife Nithya who are the coolest people I've met here so far. They're in their late 40's but they're young spirited, fresh and very level headed logical people. They're like a breath of fresh air. I hope I'm like that in 20 years. They came to the concert and said it was fantastic. I was very happy they enjoyed it.

All in all, it's been a crazy but fulfilling week. I haven't found anything about the concert online yet but when I do I'll post it. The concert was taped by NDTV and CNN but I don't think it was shown live. I don't know when it will be on tv but I'm keeping my eyes open.

This was my first time conducting in public - and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
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The night of Rahman's arrival in Chennai:

We Shall Overcome

Amidst the post Obama inauguration, there has been so much talk about hope for the future, change, international relationships, foreign policy, and, well, African Americans... in general. Even here in Chennai it is impossible to turn on the television and avoid news about the Obama presidency. I can't imagine what it must be like at home right now. The spotlight is finally on this marginalized group, and for once, not in a negative way. The post George W. political climate, coupled with February being black history month, has prompted the American Consulates in India to join together and host events across the country to celebrate and pay "tribute to the contributions that African Americans have made in American history." This year’s theme is “The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas,” and it explores the issue of race and citizenship in the United States. This month also marks the centennial of the NAACP which was founded on February 12, 1909. The NAACP had a significant role in the transition of Blacks from slavery to freedom, the desegregation of primary schools in the 1950s, and equal employment.

February also marks the 5oth anniversary of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s journey to India, where he said he saw for himself the results of Gandhi's nonviolent campaign to end British colonial rule. After his month-long trip, he was quoted as saying “I left India more convinced than ever before that nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.” The 50th anniversary of that historic journey is being commemorated with a visit to India by King’s son, Martin Luther King III; members of the U.S. Congress, including Representative John Lewis, the last surviving speaker from the 1963 March on Washington; Clayborne Carson, editor of several volumes of King’s papers; and jazz musician Herbie Hancock. Rumors have also been circling about the possibility of Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys making an appearance. This State Department–sponsored tour will include two musical performances by Hancock plus a special tribute by Indian musicians.

Um. The final casual remark about "tribute by Indian Musicians" involves a concert here in Chennai featuring L. Subramanian, ARR, and the faculty and students of KM Conservatory. WHAT?!!! Yeah you know, Alicia, Stevie, Herbie and I - we go way back. Um.... HUH?! Selva called me into his office last week when he was meeting with members from the American Consulate and they were discussing budgets and logistics of the upcoming events. Selva then turns to me and says "so, in honor of Martin Luther King, in this concert, we want you to transcribe the popular and uplifting song "We Shall Overcome" for four-part chorus, harp, violin, viola, cello and solo voice. The concert is in 20 days. Have fun and good luck." I think they were expecting me to say thanks, get up and leave at this point. But my jaw dropped to the floor and my eyes must have been glazed over because Selva actually had to say "ok, we need to discuss other issues, so, you may leave." All I could say was "I'm uh, I'm uh... I'm..." And one of the women said "still digesting?" I coughed out a "yes" and stumbled out of the room.

I mean, forget about the possibility of being in the same concert as these well known professionals, but to come up with a transcription in less than a week and have the students and faculty perform in 20 days??? I was speechless. It may not sound like much, but this is a HUGE undertaking, which Selva is probably unaware of because he has minimal knowledge on the subject. Wikipedia says that "We Shall Overcome" is a protest song that became the key anthem of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. In 1963 folksinger Joan Baez memorably led a crowd of 300,000 in singing "We Shall Overcome" at the Lincoln Memorial during Martin Luther King's March on Washington. Joan Baez! 300,000! And now I, me, Kavita, I, get to do a transcription of it that will commemorate the 50th anniversary of MLK's journey to India?? With Herbie Hancock??????????? Jigga whaaa?? What an incredible opportunity!

Let me just say first off that this could very well be a disaster. I have zero knowledge of the harp, or even string instruments for that matter in terms of technique, resonance, and even range. I've already finished two verses and they may not be playable. I just have to present myself to the other faculty as an amateur and say "so uh, if some of what I wrote is impossible, I give you permission to change it." I'm going to sing the first verse with the harp, cello and choir as my backup. Then i'll step back into the choir and we will all sing the second verse. Then hopefully I can add a Hindi verse, and Indianify it somehow. Who knows. I'll take what I've written to school tomorrow and have the choir go over it and then maybe they'll have some good ideas about Indianification. And then I'm going to come back at the end and we'll all sing the last line in unison.

So that's what I'm working on right now. It could be really good or really bad. The concert is supposed to be somewhere between the 22nd and the 26th. Not quite sure when, but I'll keep you updated. This is going to be a crazy month. I've posted two versions below: The first by Joan Baez and second by Bruce Springsteen.

Mr. A.R. Rahman

There has been so much buzz surrounding Rahman regarding his Golden Globe win. Hundreds of letters, cards and bouquets have been sent to Panchathan saying how proud they are to have him be a representative of India. Rahman must be absolutely overwhelmed by the response.

Everyone in the faculty woke up early at 6 am to watch the Golden Globes live in LA. Faiz hooked up a cable box to the tv in Sasi and we enjoyed coffee, biscuits, and bananas while we watched in anticipation. Faiz, and the French girls Claire and Vivienne joined us for the big moment. Of course we didn't really care about anything or anyone else, especially because these movies haven't come out in India and we have no idea what's going on in the American film world right now. I was definitely surprised to find that Kate Winslet and Leonardo diCaprio have made a new movie together. I'm curious to see how their chemistry is as adults. And I didn't even realize that the movie Milk was made. Everyone seems to be raving about it. Hopefully one of these days I can find it online.

Finally when the category came up for best film score, we just sat and watched on the edge of our seats. Some of us thought it definitely wouldn't win because of the other people nominated in the same category. I mean, Rahman was in the same category as Hans Zimmer. And some of us just knew he would. When they finally read out "A.R. Rahman" Faiz jumped out of his seat and yelled Woooooooooo!!!! while we all stayed in our seats and just stared at each other in dumbfounded silence. I just kept saying...... "What?!" every five minutes or so while Liz was hysterically laughing and saying "Oh my god." After the results were announced, the rest of the faculty dispersed and went to work/gym/practice, etc. Liz and I remained at Sasi and continued to stare at each other in astonishment. What a fantastic time to be working for Rahman! Could we be any more lucky? We're working for a Golden Globe winner!

Rahman was met at the airport by hundreds of people carrying signs saying Congratulations and people singing and dancing. He was followed home by a huge caravan of media and was welcomed at two in the morning at Panchathan by friends, family, and some of the students who, in two days, put together a choral version of "Jay ho". The next three days were filled to the brim with one interview after another; television, radio, international, emails etc. etc. He was doing about 30+ interviews a day. Liz was laughing and saying "can't these people think of more interesting questions???" Apparently they just kept asking the same boring questions such as "How does it feel to be the first Indian Golden Globe Winner?" I'm sure Rahman wanted to kill someone after answering that question for the 97th time.

And the frenzy continues. The Oscar nominations were formally announced yesterday afternoon and Chennai is going crazy. Slumdog Millionaire has accumulated a whopping 10 nominations.

Achievement in Cinematography
Achievement in Directing
Achievement in Film Editing
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - A.R. Rahman
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) - Jay Ho
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) - O...Saya
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Achievement in Sound Editing
Achievement in Sound Mixing
Adapted Screenplay

I have to say, with all the talk that has been going on for months now, actually seeing the film was kind of a lukewarm experience. I've been so close to the project and hearing about it since August - it was difficult to detach myself from what all I've heard. To me it just seemed like a slightly more sophisticated Bollywood melodrama but with serious social commentary. I'm going to watch it again. It'll probably be better the second time. Sadly this experience has become somewhat bittersweet for Rahman and poor Anil Kapoor. A slums organization in Bombay has decided that the usage of the word "slum" by Indians was obscene, offensive, and inappropriate. This org is now suing both Rahman and Mr. Kapoor for I don't know how much. What a waste of money that could actually be helping the slums! What are they thinking?!

A man, who claims to fight for the rights of slum dwellers, has taken the Indian artistes of the acclaimed film "Slumdog Millionaire" to court, contending that their sensibilities have been offended by the movie title that he found abusive of people who live in slums. "Vishwakarma made it clear that he hardly expected anything positive from a British filmmaker as their ancestors described us as dogs. But what hurt him was that even Indians associated with the film hardly bothered to object to calling us a slumdog," Shruti Singh said.

I think Mr. Vishwakarma missed the point. Maybe Success is always bittersweet. People always seem to want a piece of the pie no matter what it takes to get it.