Learnings from Rahman's OSCAR speech

After reading the above line, if you are tempted to think that Iam going to write about some sermon, Iam sorry to disappoint you. The above words were spoken by Mr.Rahman in his acceptance speech while receiving the OSCAR for the much acclaimed movie "SlumDog Millionaire". Other than the fact that the awards has been a great great source of pride and happiness to over a billion Indians,it is also a testimony to Mr.Rahman's talent and humbleness. I can go on listing Rahman's musical wizardry skills, yet since many of my fellowmen have done that, i would like to share 3 things which stood out in his acceptance speech in the OSCARS award ceremony.

Firstly: His words "Mere paas ma hai meaning My mother is here, I have her blessings", is something which definitely would have made his mother very proud. I would like to point out to the extent his mother had an affect on him, the fact that Parents play a very important role in the up bringing of their child. Its a known fact that parents care for their kids. But the caring has to be such that it emphasises more on values and character rather than fulfilling the child fanciful wishes...

Parents who inculcate values and character in their kids ensure that the child grows up to a responsible and a good human being. Contrast it with the sad fact in today's world where parents are too busy with their life's to give enough time to their kids. Some assume that giving a lot of money to satisfy the child wish will keep him happy. This couldnt be farther from truth. The child needs good quality time with his/her parents so as to become a good human being. Not that, exceptions doesnt exist. Yet in the majority, the more the parents care and spend time for/with their children, the child is moulded to a greater precision, and Rahman's words bear testimony to the fact.

Secondly, his words "Ella Pughazhum Eraivanukke, which means "All my success and achievements are dedicated to God, God is great." This not only points out the humble nature of Rahman but also the fact that no matter how high one goes, one must keep in mind that their feet are firmly set in the ground. With lots of publicity and gala, its easy to get into the feeling of incredibleness and to lose one's head. Yet, the people who keep on making/creating new records are the one who never forgot that their achievements is a amalgamation of many people's effort and are always grateful for it. Hats off to the humble nature of Rahman.

Thirdly, his words ""All my life I had two choices - between love and hate and I chose love," reflects the power of choices in one's life. I have an interesting story to relate about how the choices we make determine our destiny. I will share it in my upcoming post. Coming back to Rahman's word, i have no idea about what Rahman choices he had and what he choosed, maybe we have to wait for Rahman to come up with his auto-biography... Yet one thing i have learnt from his above lines was this.

Initially i had a thought that giving OSCAR to Rahman for his music composition for SlumDog Millionaire is like mocking his previous compositions. Any ardent fan of Mr.Rahman will bear testimony to the fact that there are numerous composition of Rahman which are far better than his recent one. Yet we get an OSCAR for this one because this one has been produced and directed by a foreign entity. Our previous nominations "Lagaan","Taare Zameen Par" which should have fetched an OSCAR could have been over looked !! In one way, I was holding a negative perception of the whole incident. As in i have a choice to look at Rahman's OSCAR nomination with pride and i also have an option to criticise the delayed OSCAR award.

But as Rahman had said "Choice between love and hate, and choosing love has brought him where he stood", the same goes with our life. No matter how the circumstances are, choosing love not only spreads harmony but also inspires an individual to go for his highest potential. Its like when you embrace the world,the world embraces you. There is a lot more to the above words than what appears. So my Hats off to Mr.Rahman for making me look at the things at the right perspective.

Finally, my sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Mr.Resul Pookutty for making India proud. Hopefully, this marks a beginning of a new age where Indian cinematic talent will be recognized all over the world.

God Bless all.