Great Inspiring writer - Sudha Menon

Coming to her early life history, she was born in Mumbai where she completed her studies before pursuing her childhood dream of becoming journalist.  After coming through 20 years life of being journalist she started to work on her dream.(authoring of book). Her first book,Leading Ladies: Women who inspire India was launched in 2010.

A Women who encouraged and support other women. when i start to read about her i saw her passion towards empowerment of fellow being. Her inspirational words admired me well.

When I start to read about her previous journey, i came to knew that she was completely trusted by her mother and sister." In our life,without any expectation ,If someone starts to trust and support us means we can achieve greater heights in life, especially from our family." Her book came out successful as she worked hard on it and she made inspiring scope on it.something interesting i came across about her she writes about her own journey and the incredible women who were there to support her at every step of the way.Sometime in mid-2009, during the writing of my debut book, Leading Ladies: Women Who Inspire India, a petite, soft-spoken, Khadi-clad woman said to me: “I believe women are future of our country, if they can just take themselves seriously, value their own worth a bit more, and leverage their collective strength to make this country and indeed, our world a better place to live in.”

                                               
That woman was Elaben Bhatt and she, more than anyone else, should know about the collective strength of women. In 1972, she founded the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), a trade union for poor, marginalized women working in the unorganised sector that has over 1.30 million members today.

These are women who lived their life at the mercy of the men in the community till Elaben helped them discover their self-worth by giving them livelihood skills and an identity of their own. SEWA went on to set up, among other things, a cooperative bank by and for women that helps women create assets, funds their enterprises and helps fulfil their dreams. The SEWA model is now replicated across many countries and she has become a formidable voice for the empowerment of women and their collective strength.

"It takes a woman to understand another woman’s dreams, her highs and lows. We women create a community, a sisterhood based on love, empathy and our readiness to be there for each other, no matter what".

A. R. Rahman’s Journey to Fame and Awards is a Tale of Struggle & Simplicity

He has been rewarded innumerable times for the legendary genius that he is. He’s not just a visionary but a luminary when it comes to the world of music. You ask him about a song that shook him and he promptly says, ‘Ma tujhe salaam’, stressing on the fact that neither his own music nor anyone else’s has made him feel that alive ever since. When asked who he credits his success to, he humbly invokes his mother and the director Mani Ratnam.

Oscar Hero

Music composer, record producer, musician and singer – Allah Rakha Rahman is not just a name but a phenomenon that happens once in a lifetime and we are lucky that he happened in ours. A man who undeniably revolutionized the Indian film music industry, Rahman’s songs are soothing, original and instantly connect to one’s soul.
The Mozart of Madras is in the race once again for an Academy Award with his work for ‘Pele: Birth of a Legend’ has finding a spot in the list of Oscar contenders for the year. Nominated in the Original Score category for the 89th Oscars, Rahman has truly done India proud yet again.
Born on January 6, 1966 as A. S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, A R Rahman had a humble childhood. His father R K Shekhar, was a film-score composer and conductor for Tamil and Malayalam films.                                             

Rahman's childhod

Soon after, Rahman’s father passed away. With the burden of supporting his family fell on Rahman’s young shoulders, it was his mother Kareema Begum who encouraged Rahman to stay strong during the testing times and follow in the footsteps of his father. Begum also began renting out musical instruments to provide for her family.Unable to attend school regularly due to financial difficulties, he finally dropped out at the age of 11 and joined music maestro Ilayaraja’s troupe as a keyboard player.  In his later interviews, Rahman would often recall:
“As a child, music seemed to be a means of earning bread and butter. I had no special fascination for it. It was associated purely with work”.
However, music soon became the only source of joy for Rahman. Dedicated and hard working, he learnt how to play several musical instruments under the guidance on M K Arjunan (Malayalam composer and close friend of his father) and began spending several hours with his musical instruments.
                                   
In 1984, Rahman was introduced to Qadiri Islam when his younger sister, who was seriously ill, was treated successfully by a Sufi saint. In 1989, at the age of 23, he converted to Islam and changed his name from A.S. Dileep Kumar to Allah Rakha Rahman.Back them, Rahman found work by composing scores of jingles for documentaries, advertisements and Indian television channels. He would later say that the experience taught him discipline because jingle writing required delivery of a powerful message or mood in a short time. One of the most popular ones from his jingle compositions was the popular jingle for Titan Watches, in which he used the theme from Mozart’s Symphony no.25. Rahman was also a keyboardist in a band called Nemesis Avenue and a part of Roots, a band with now famous percussionist Anandan Sivamani.Rahman’s film career began in 1992 when he started Panchathan Record Inn, a recording and mixing studio in his backyard. He didn’t know it back then, but it would go on to become the most-advanced recording studio in India, and arguably one of Asia’s most sophisticated and high-tech studios.
At the same time when Rahman was setting up his studio, ace Tamil movie director Mani Ratnam was on the lookout for a new composer to give music for his films.

 Rahman and his fellow members of band(ROOT)

                                       Curious, Mani Ratnam requested Rahman for a sample of his wares. The composer readily complied and invited the director over to his studio. Ratnam turned up at the studio only after six months, where the 24 year old lad played out a tune that hooked the director instantly. Without a second thought he signed on Rahman to score the music for his next film.
That film did not work out but Ratnam signed him on for a new film which was to be produced by the veteran Tamil director K Balachander for his respected ‘Kavithalayaa’ banner. That film was ‘Roja’. The tune Rahman had played on meeting Ratnam would become the song ‘Tamizha Tamizha‘ in ‘Roja‘.
The music of ‘Roja‘ was a runaway success. And the rest, as they say, is history. The film won Rahman the Rajat Kamal award for Best Music Director at the National Film Awards. This was history in itself, with the honour being given the first time ever to a first-time film composer. Since then, Rahman has gone on to win the National Award 3 more times, the most ever by any music composer.

A proud  moment of getting PadmaBhusan Award from Former hon'ble Prsident Pradipa Patel

Ten years later, Andrew Lloyd Webber invited Rahman to compose for his musical, ‘Bombay Dreams’, which ran for two years and later premiered on Broadway. Rahman also composed the score for the production of ‘The Lord Of The Rings‘, one of the most expensive stage productions ever. In 2005, his first soundtrack for Roja was listed in TIME’s ’10 Best Soundtracks of All Time’.In recognition of his contribution to medicine, Rahman has been bestowed with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, two of India’s highest national civilian honours, in addition to several other awards including 4 Indian National Film Awards and 25 Filmfare Awards, India’s leading recognition for films. His extensive body of work for film and the stage have also earned him the nickname ‘the Mozart of Madras’ with several Tamil commentators and fans also coining the nickname Isai Puyal (musical storm in English).                                     

Rahman is also deeply attached to his wife and children. His wife, Saira Banu, listens to most of his songs and even has her favourites. Whenever he finds time, he spends it with his family, taking his children on small trips and picnics.

Rahman with his family

On his 5oth birthday, we wish the musical magician a very happy birthday and hope to hear more of his soulful music for many many years to come!  Here’s a lovely interview of Rahman from 1992, from the hugely popular DD series Surabhi, which aired before he won his first National Award for Mani Ratnam’s Roja. As a four-year-old, Rahman used to carry lunch for his father and watch him work. Rahman’s first composition came at the mere age of nine when he accidentally played a tune on the piano in the presence of his father. Later, the recording was converted into a full-fledged song ‘Vellithen Kinnam Pol’ by his father for the Malayalam movie ‘Penpada’.As a kid, he was seen in Doordarshan’sWonder Balloon where he got popular for being the kid who could play 4 keyboards at once.Eventually, he started playing for other eminent composers of those times – M. S. Viswanathan, Ramesh Naidu, and Raj Koti. He also began accompanying Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and L. Shankar on world tours and obtained a scholarship from the Trinity College of Music. Studying in Chennai, Rahman graduated with a diploma in Western classical music from the school.
                                        
 One day, at an award function for excellence in the field of advertising, Mani Ratnam chanced upon Rahman who had just received the award for the best ad jingle (which he had composed for the popular Leo Coffee ad). Sharada Trilok of Trish Productions, Ratnam’s cousin, had words of high praise for the young composer.
In 2008, Rahman gained global prominence with his score for “Slumdog Millionaire” winning two Academy Awards for Best Score and Best Song. Overall, he won 15 awards including two Grammys, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. In 2009, Time placed Rahman in its list of World’s Most Influential People. The UK-based world-music magazineSonglines even honoured him as one of ‘Tomorrow’s World Music Icons’ in August 2011.                                 
In the age of music which is run and re-run by remixes and plagiarism, Rahman breathes a life into his works which has originality to say the least. In the last 25 years, he has given us one melody after another, and remains to this day one of the most influential music composers of India as well as across the world. However, he remains untouched by fame, mingling with friends, fans and colleagues with incredible humility.
                                       

He Is A Singing Sensation. CBSE Topper. Visually Impaired. Are You As Inspired As I am??

Diwakar Sharma

Diwakar Sharma left his visual impairment behind as he not only won many hearts in a television music reality show but also topped in the 12th grade CBSE board exams. As he transformed from being a ‘regular’ boy to a celebrity.“Regular” people often lament their fate and spend a large part of their lives trying to come to terms with their disabilities or misfortunes. But, did we mention that Diwakar is not a “regular” person? Disability was never a word in his dictionary, and with his amazing achievements, he has proved that nothing can come in the way of genuine talent and passion.Born and brought up in Delhi, Diwakar has always been a talented child and started singing since the age of two. “It came naturally to me. Though I took professional training, I did not plan to make a career out of it. But then SaReGaMaPa happened, and it changed my life,” he says.
He bagged the second place in that competition and since then he has never looked back. Currently pursuing B.A in Music from Delhi University, Diwakar is a celebrity now. “Life has changed tremendously. Earlier I was just a normal kid; today people know me because of my voice. It feels great,” the young champ grins.
Diwakar’s achievements were not restricted to just music – he excelled in academics too. He became CBSE topper in his 12th grade board exams and scored 91 percent marks.“My family and I never treated my visual impairment as a challenge. I live a normal life, go to a regular school, have some wonderful friends and spend a lot of time on Facebook like any other person of my age,” he laughs.
Though the journey has not been a bed of roses for this young lad, he has found ways to look at the best in every situation. He managed studies and his music together and excelled in both fields. “But, music has always been my priority,” he says.“Of course, the disability does bother and affect me at times. It has not been an easy journey; everything was very hard initially. But gradually, I am getting used to it. Things look much better now,” Having faced a few insecurities at first, Diwakar is a confident performer when he is out there on the stage today. “Earlier, whenever I would hear my recordings, I would get embarrassed and feel that I sound so different. I would run away to another room. But now, I am okay with it. I guess confidence comes with experience and time,” he says.
A diehard fan of Lata Mangeshkar, Rafi, A.R Rahman and KK, Diwakar loves to experiment with his voice and tries to sing with different variations and styles. Currently going gaga over the tunes of a Hindi movie Ashiqui 2, Sharma can’t stop humming the ‘tum hi ho..’ song from the flick. “I am in love with Arijit Singh’s voice. All the songs are amazing,” he says.
Diwakar is an inspiration to all of us and a true embodiment of how your actions rather than your fate define the course of your life. It is heartening to see that he has handled his disability with such maturity and has never let it come in the way of his dreams. We wish this young wonder good luck for all his future endeavours.

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