Monday, January 12, 2009

... he makes the impossible *possible*...

""A.R. Rahman is nothing short of a melodic genius," Andrew Lloyd Webber has said. "I admire his unique sense of harmony, his staggering rhythms and his melodies that take an unexpected twist that no Western composer would dream of.""

This is an excerpt from the popular political blog Huffington Post, in the context of Rahman getting the Golden Globe for composing the score in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Any such statement is an understatement of what he is capable of, and so it goes without saying how much is the depth and breadth of Rahman's fan-following ever since the 'Roja' times; and also the fact that I am certainly one of them; an apparent celebrity, but a very commonplace man whose achievements, hard-work, patriotism and dedication to work has always left me mesmerized. Coming from a very ordinary family the way he has been climbing the stairs of success by dint of sheer faith in himself makes me believe: nothing is impossible.

The world is not so bleak; there are still some people who believe in themselves, tiding over all odds, never being victims of the circumstances, and always cherishing the belief in themselves that they have a goal in mind that they need to reach; all the other reasons that come across on the way then lose significance. Honest, truthful and strongly determined people like Rahman practically prove this philosophy; and shower drizzles of hope everywhere, time and again.

No life is without a purpose. And when we know the purpose of our lives, there's no stopping. We can make the impossible *possible*.

I am fortunate I live at an age where there are folks like Rahman to keep sowing the seeds of hope that success is definite, should you want it from the bottom of your heart. The goals I have set in my life and big, large and heavy; but I am hopeful that as long as I see people like Rahman reaching their much coveted zenith, there's no reason I wouldn't be able to equate my dreams and goals to the life ahead, even if it costs my whole lifetime!


Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Munmun Goes 'Pro'!


To start New Year 2009 with a bang, I went 'pro' on Flickr! All the thanks goes to AK, and also to Yahoo! :D A Canon 40D sometime late this year, with the standard 18-55 mm lens, a zoom lens (70-300 mm) and a wide-angle 10-12 mm lens; and then I am all set to go! Going 'pro' on Flickr was something I was looking forward to since a long time - came soon enough :) Please find the 'pro' Munmun here! Note, though not 'pro' before, I had a reasonable public exposure on the mere 132 photos I have out on my profile, with a current count of 9279 views. Photography is a hobby I have generated very late, like a couple of years back, say compared to my other creative pursuits like writing (11th standard, 1999) or cooking (B Tech Final Year, 2004-05) or traveling (B Tech 3rd Year, 2003-04). Like all of these creative pastimes, I found it inexplicably captivating. I want to nurture on this hobby more, possibly increase my exposure, hone my skills (I still consider myself an amateur-to-intermediate photographer) and thereby cherish my all-time love of Art.

The pic you see above is taken at the Monterrey Bay, in California during by new year visit to San Jose. It is a very pretty place, I am referring to 17 mile drive there. The drive is also very pleasant, beautiful and the Pacific shores are marvellously serene. Strongly recommended on your next pleasure trip!

The interesting thing about the pic is that no editing was done on the pic, not even cropping; fresh out of the camera memory card. The colors of the sky you see are the natural sunset colors. I also love the composition of the pic; the silhouetted foreground comprising the trees and little hills give a great sense of mystery to the pic.

Wait and watch. More of photography to come shortly!