The music of Roja was released on 27th Jul 1992, but I stumbled upon this album a few months later on the most fateful day of my life. My mom moved on to the next world, but on the very same day, the Universe introduced me to ARR's music, playing on the loudspeaker from a tea shop. Listening to "Kaadhal Rojavae, enge nee enge" brings me tears even to this date, reminding me of the flood of emotions I felt that day.
Looking back, I have chosen to believe that the Universe meant to convey this message - "I understand you have lost someone precious today and it's an irreplaceable loss. But I'm bringing something to you that will fill this gap in myriad ways".
His music in the past 30 years has been a constant, though my life has moved on from being a 10-year-old kid to a mother of a 10-year-old.
The rush to buy his albums in the form of cassettes, CDs, and iTunes songs and then listening to them for hours at a stretch, immersing in the tune, orchestration, beats, and vocals - right from Chikku Bukku Raiyile to his latest Cholappenne.
As he started singing, it brought a whole new dimension to his albums. Whenever a new album of his gets released, my first instinct now is to look for the songs that he has sung. I also realized that the songs I unconsciously hum are all sung by him - "Dil se re", "Newyork Nagaram", "Vellai Pookal", "Mazhai kuruvi" and the latest "Uyir Urigudhey".
I watch certain movies multiple times, ONLY to listen to his awesome background track - be it "Swades", "Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya", "Kandukondein Kandukondein" to name a few.
I still can't get over the rush of excitement I felt while attending his concert in Chennai 3 years back. I went by myself without company, knowing that I'll be in the company of 100s of his fans and his rocking performance.
His humility, groundedness, passion, and constant quest for excellence are all traits that I admire in him.
ARR, thank you so much for all these 30 years of blissful and soulful music. Your music is like a dear friend to me always! *Mind voice singing "Mustafa Mustafa" now*🙂
Rahmaniac since 1992!