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I feel the desire to give back: A.R.Rahman
By Natalia Ningthoujam
New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician A.R. Rahman has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments. Now, the music maestro, who turned 52 on Sunday, feels the “desire” to give back and nurture “some of the younger generations”.
Rahman has delivered multiple chartbusters in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English and Persian films. The founder of the KM Music Conservatory hasn’t restricted himself to just music. The “Urvasi Urvasi” hitmaker also got into the director’s chair for “Le Musk”, among other things.
Asked if he would like to achieve more, Rahman told IANS in an exclusive interview: “I feel the desire to give back, nurturing some of the younger generations and also spend time learning and refining many things I don’t know.”
Last year, he was also busy hunting for “India’s most authentic voice” on his digital show “ARRived”. After judging “ARRived”, he will be soon seen as a coach of “The Voice India”. It seems like he has grown fond of singing-based reality shows.
“I like some of them. It’s really beautiful to see the new generation of Indian talent. It gives me inspiration to write new things,” he said in the email interview.
Talking about his 52nd birthday, he shared: “Just spend time with family and friends. It’s also my son A.R Ameen’s birthday.”
He has a treat for his fans as well. His song, “Kabir”, for the forthcoming film “The Fakir of Venice” will be unveiled on Sunday.
“The lyrics are from a poem of Saint Kabir. It’s about the journey of a Fakir and the dichotomy of things with the character,” said Rahman.
“We tried to shoot for the song in Sikkim, but the weather didn’t work in our favour in the time allotted,” he added.
This is his first film with actor-filmmaker-singer Farhan Akhtar.
“This one is my first with him. Due to schedules and various factors, we could never work together before. He (Farhan) is bold as an artiste,” said Rahman.
“The Fakir of Venice”, which also stars Annu Kapoor, revolves around the two faces of every human being which primarily comes out due to situations, needs, goals and wants.
“I started working on the film almost about one year and a half ago. We scored the background music first, followed by a song. The director Anand Surapur approached me for the music and I have been fond of his earlier works.
“I liked the film when I saw the rough cut and the overall concept was quite intriguing. Thus, I decided to associate with the project without much difficulty in thinking to do so,” said the frequent collaborator of popular filmmaker Mani Ratnam.
It wasn’t smooth sailing for the makers of the film, which will hit the screens on January 18 — a decade after it was made. The delay in the release didn’t affect Rahman though.
“I just wanted to be sure that it’s coming out as there was a delay before. Now that it’s scheduled to come out, I am happy. True stories always have a timelessness,” he said.
(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at [email protected])
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.