Pradip Ki Awaz Suno

Moving on to a new blog on wordpress......

2009-05-22T21:59:00.006+05:30

Friends.....

Finally I decided to revamp my blog and give it a new look. I have moved on to wordpress.

My new blog address is

http://www.pradipsomasundaran.com/musicblog

This blog will remain as it is with the older posts.

Rithubhangi-Album released by Manorama Music

2009-05-13T10:49:00.006+05:30

"Manorama Music" has released "Rithubhangi" a collection of 9 songs which have been penned by "Dr. Sreeja Balaraj" and tuned by "Kallara Gopan". I have sung one song in the album. The other singers are P. Jayachandran, G.Venugopal, Kallara Gopan, Kavalam Sreekumar, Sujatha Mohan, Manjari and Shweta Mohan. The album is abvailable in all leading music stores across Kerala. Cost of the album is Rs. 75/-.

And I sing another Telugu song tuned by Sandeep Chowta in "Saleem" for Dr. Mohanbabu....

2009-05-01T07:24:00.039+05:30

Illeana & Vishnu Vardhan Babu

It's been a month where different things have happened. I had an operation on my right ankle to remove the steel implants placed around an year and a half back, to repair the Trimalleolar ankle fracture. I was laid up in bed again and had a pleasant surprise when "Sandeep Chowta" called me to sing another Telugu film song! Again this is a very big occassion after "Bujjigadu" in 2008. I flew to Mumbai and we recorded the song in "Yatra" his studio at Andheri. This time it's for "Dr. Mohan Babu" the Telugu Super Star, who also is the producer of the film.The film has been named "Saleem" and stars his son "Vishu Vardhan" and "Illeana" in the lead roles."YVS Chaudhury" directs the movie. The song is a solo one and a "breathless" kind of number. "Chandrabose" is the lyricist. Do wait for the Album which would be out the next month. It has 5 other peppy numbers.

More news about Saleem here:

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/telugu/gallery/events/16122.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mejo Joseph
"Notebook" is a beautiful film which was directed by "Roshan Andrews" and has melodious songs tuned by the young and immensely talented "Mejo Joseph" who also happens to be my friend. We together had judged the last preliminary round of "Amrita T.V Superstar Junior 2". I got the minus tracks of the movie from him directly when he came to our College to inaugurate the arts festival. "Notebook" is his debut film.
"Iniyum" is a song that flows like a ghazal and has rich tones of acoustic instruments which makes hearing it a wonderful experience. The song has been sung both by "K.J Yesudas" and "Sudeep Kumar" as a duet with "Manjari" as the female voice.

Song: Iniyum Maunamo
Film: Notebook
Music: Mejo Joseph
Lyrics: Vayalar Sarath
Original Singers: K.J Yesudas, Manjari, Sudeep Kumar
Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Guzarish-Ghajini-A.R Rahman

2009-03-20T19:20:00.005+05:30

It's been quite a long time since I posted a song here. It's always the latest songs that attract the young and I should say that singing songs of this generation do challenge you at times. It's not to prove any point but sometimes it's fascinating to try different songs that you are not supposed to sing or your audience and yourself have made you think so. This is one such song that caught my attention recently. Getting good karaoke tracks for latest songs are sometimes very difficult. The ones mostly available with the N-364 kind of keyboard tones are un-inspiring at times. So I had to tinker with the original a little to get the main voice of this song subdued. Then I had to play with the equalizer a little to even out the track. Here is the result.

Sonu Nigaam's humming in this song gives the life to the backing track, so I believe that it cannot be replaced with any other voice. Well Sonu's loss in not being able to sing the full song has been Javed Ali's gain. The song has become a chart buster!

Song: Guzarish

Film: Ghajini

Singer: Javed Ali (Humming parts by Sonu Nigaam)

Music: A.R Rahman

Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Chandanalepa Sugandham-Vadakkan Veera Gaadha

2009-02-07T05:38:00.003+05:30

Music director Ravi or Bombay Ravi as he is know in the south, is one of the very few stalwarts of Hindi film music who is alive today. He has given innumerable hits in Bollywood in the 60's and the 70's and even 80's like Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), Do Badan (1966), Humraaz (1967), Ankhen (1968), and Nikaah (1982). He won Filmfare awards for Gharana(1961) and Khandaan (1965). His other successful films include Waqt, Neel Kamal and Gumraah. He was instrumental in shaping the career of Mahendra Kapoor who died recently.

In the 80's he started composing for Malayalam films, became a big success there and thereafter has been a regular composer for director Hariharan. Every film for which he has composed music right from Panchagni has been a super hit. Some of them were Nakhakshatangal, Sargam, Vaishali, Five Star Hospital, etc. Today I present one of his super hit songs from Oru Vadakkan Veera Gaadha.

Song: Chandanalepa Sugandham

Film: Oru Vadakkan Veera Gaadha

Music Director: Ravi Bombay

Original Singer: K.J Yesudas

Lyrics: K Jayakumar (I.A.S)

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Slumdog Millionaire disappoints!

2009-02-02T12:36:00.007+05:30

After Slumdog Millionaire made waves at the Golden Globe awards and then shocked everyone by bagging 10 nominations for the Oscars, everyone was eager to see what it had to offer. I generally do not blog about matters other than music even though I am a movie freak who does watch most of the good Hollywood films and international films.
I was thrilled to hear that A.R Rahman whom I admire, as does the whole of the nation had not only got a golden globe but also had bagged 3 Oscar nominations! This motivated me to see the film. But all my expectations were in vain! Slumdog for all it’s media hype is just another run of the mill, Bollywood movie, the only difference being that it’s directed by a british born Hollywood director. I would not say it is utterly bad. It is just an average film, especially for us Indians who are used to seeing such films right since Bollywood films have come into existence. For all the senior Indian actors in the film, their roles would have been a cakewalk as they would have been doing such roles since very long. It has the same story line of any typical bollywood film. Brothers separated after parents die and then an old childhood love separated and then reunited after many years, the underworld, and the red-light backdrops etc. I think that the only reason why Slumdog is there is in Oscars or has got the Golden globe awards would be that it was directed by a well known Hollywood director. If the same film was to be directed by an Indian, it would not even have been seen by anyone outside India. Either this proves that this is the downfall of world cinema or that this is going to be the state of things to come. Anyway this year amazingly there are no many strong contenders for the best film category, other than The curious case of Benjamin Button. Has Hollywood started losing its hold? Have they started seeing our masala movies with songs, dance and the like? Or is it that the jury would have never ever watched a typical Bollywood film before in their whole life except for Slumdog and then were so pleased to discover the beauty of Indian slums? Or does it mean that if the Oscars were for world cinema as a whole and not for Hollywood films alone, Indian films would have won several Oscars in the past? For me who has seen the likes of Gone with the wind, Ben Hur, The sound of music, The Ten commandments, and recently, A beautiful mind, Gladiator, Road to Perdition etc. the fall from glory is evident. I feel that even The Revolutionary Road was a commendable movie though it got only a single nomination. After watching Slumdog it’s hard to comprehend it’s entry for the Academy awards! Mumbai today is not what as is shown in the film. All the images from this film have already been shown in hundreds of Bollywood films in the past. Danny Boyle may get all the acclaim for the film for being the first person to force the jury to see the first Hollywood film in a typical bollywood style and get away with some Oscars, but it would be an insult to the likes of Satyajit Ray’s, the Aravindans, the Adoors and the Nihalanis, who have produced enough quality films to make a mockery of the Oscars. They were not watched by the Oscar Jury, just because their medium was in a language other than English!
As an Indian, speaking on the nominations for A.R.R and Rasool Pookkutty, I would be the most happy man if A.R.R and Rasool, win their Oscars and I believe A.R.R will definitely do so as out of the three nominations in the best song category, he has two! And if he wins then it’s going to be the best thing to happen for Indian Cinema as International recognition is long due for our little Mozart from Madras! But I strongly believe that A.R R has done even better in many films in the past and Slumdog is definitely not his best. Even the songs in the films are like any Bollywood movie songs like Chak De or the like and do not go to the high standards that ARR has set for himself in films like Bombay, Fiza, Lagaan, Rang De Basanti, Water, Fire, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose-The Forgotten Hero or recently Jodha Akber or so many Tamil Films. He should have got the Golden globes award or the Oscar for his music in many of the Indian films he did. Even the song in the film comes in the end and is disconnected from the story. I also find that A.R R has turned too much to Techno (computer processed and generated sounds) in this film than in any of his other films. Definitely this is not one of his bests, even though he deserves all International recognition for what he has done for Indian cinema. He is one of the very few music composers who listens to lot of good world music and can easily score music for any Hollywood movie. I would be happier if he uses more of original Instruments in such scores. I cannot be blamed as there is no musical part in Slumdog which stays in my mind after I leave the cinema hall whereas, I still carry the themes from Taal, Lagaan and Rang De Basanti in my heart.. Speaking of Hollywood films, the background scores from The Godfather, Star Wars, Jaws, E.T, The Omen, A Beautiful Mind, Titanic, Gladiator, A Road to Perdition and recently The Revolutionary Road (Both by Thomas Newman) etc. are still fresh in my head. In spite of all this I wish and pray that our own A.R.R and Rasool Pookkutty, get an Oscar for India, as this is the best shot Indians would ever get at the Oscars in the coming years!

Car Audio using iPod and Altec Lansing 2.1 desktop speakers

2009-01-29T21:30:00.010+05:30

--------------------------------------THE iPod as a HU---------------------------------

------------------------------------Front view of the Satellites-----------------------

-----------------------------------Rear view of the Satellites--------------------------

--------------------------------------- The Sub Woofer--------------------------------

I have been busy with lot of other things (including music of course) in the past one month and one of such things was finding a right audio system for my new car. Since I believe in doing things in my own way, I did not want to follow the general route of buying a Kenwood/Alipne/Pioneer/Sony which is forced upon you by the dealer. Then follows the next general step of going for a JBL/Sony....etc speaker system. It could be two or four or an extra sub too which would rob you of an additional 25-30 K. Well I decided that I was going to do something different and break the general norm. Since I have been using Altec Lansing GT5051R 5.1 other than my Norge Millennium (for reference), my first thought was to see if Altec Lansing had good 2.1 speakers. Am saying this as my 5.1 is one of the best in the business. Altec Lansing never compromises on quality. My search led to the VS 4121 BLK which comes with two 6 watt satellites, and a 19 watt Sub. Now the die hard car audio freaks who swear by the Pioneer and JBL's would laugh at the thought of installing a 2.1 31 watt desktop system in a Car! Well here lies the mistake. We all have been programmed to believe that a car audio only sounds good if you power pack it with the Alpines, Kenwoods and the JBL's! It's not the volume that matters, it's the quality of sound that finally matters. My good friend a bike mechanic and an audio freak who also fits car audio systems distanced himself from me telling me that I was really mad! But I had already decided to go ahead as I believed that since the car is a small closed environment, the 2.1 would sound good with 30 watts. Well here is what I did.

I got the 2.1 VS4121 BLK and then opened it to see the circuit if it could be run on a 12 V car battery. I cut the transformer output wires and saw that it was giving 20 Volts DC. There was a 7812 regulator IC which provided power to the volume/tone control sections and pre-amps. The Power Amplifier IC is the TDA7377 (basically a 2 x 30W dual/quad Car Radio PA) which was directly fed from the transformer output. I found from the IC data sheet that the minimum voltage for it to be operative was 8 volts. Thus I made sure that it would work with the car battery. Then disaster struck! I accidentally switched the +/- of the transformer output wires and I was shocked to see fumes coming out from the PCB! But I had the guts to take it to my College and with the help of a colleague came to the conclusion that the regulator IC and the power amp IC was burnt out. I was relieved to see the sound back after replacing both the IC's. Then, I removed a 12 volt UPS battery and tested the 2.1 with it. It worked like a charm. Next I tested it inside the car and I was really taken aback at what I heard. I must confess that I have never heard all those 30K systems come anywhere near the clarity and pureness of sound that the 2.1 produces in a car! In fact it sounds better in a car than in a room. The sub is just astounding. I just have put the speakers on half the volume and they just blow you over! I tested with an iPod as the input source. I tried different types of music including A.R.R's Yuvraj, Carpenters, Mozart, etc. By now I was in love with the elegant satellites and the small but powerful sub. The highs, mids and the lows were just amazingly reproduced for every kind of music! It has to be heard to be believed. Now the next step was to mount the speakers. Since my car is the Swift, I got a luggage compartment wooden pad. I got a wooden pad as the fibre type MGA original one was not suited for putting the speakers on it. I attached the satellites with super glue on the wooden pad and then the sub in the hatch. The next job was to power up the speakers with the car battery. I took the help of the Maruti showroom electrical guys who did the job for me. The next issue was alternator whine which is a continuous whine which starts as soon as the engine is on. I got over that by using an inductor and a capacitor duo pi filter, the components for which were obtained from an old Computer SMPS. Now the system is perfect without any noise and day by day I am addicted to listening music in my car. My iPod which I was not actively using since some months has finally turned out to be of great use in the car!
Guys, all those who have an iPod or similar media player and have got a new car can go for this arrangement. It will only make you poorer by Rs. 2500! But there is no compromise on the quality of sound that you get. The sleek satellite speakers blend with the inside, and look awesome. The sub also takes very little space in the hatch.

"Yeh Hosla Kaise Jhuke...".A Tribute to the valiant souls who laid down their lives in the Mumbai Terror Attacks!

2008-12-14T15:25:00.003+05:30

Am back again after another long gap of a month. In between so much has happened. Our country was attacked by terrorists and we lost so many valuable lives!
I heard this song a few years back and it moved me immensely! Since then I was waiting eagarly for the Karaoke track to appear somewhere.

I dedicate this song to those who laid down their lives for us....... the valiant souls who died for their motherland. This song conveys so much with simple words and emotion.
We will move on despite all the hurdles in front of us. We will not lose our courage and hope. Day and Night are part of our lives. This song is about life...We have to move on....

Song: Yeh Hosla Kaise Jhuke
Film: Dor
Original Singer: Shafqat Amanat Ali
Music: Salim Sulaiman
Lyrics: Mir Ali Hasain

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

BLOGSWARA V5 Released!!!

2008-12-14T15:18:00.002+05:30

Blogswara's fifth album has been released! Listen to the songs from the Bogswara Site at www.blogswara.in
There are 14 songs involving more than 15 new artists this time and a song in Kannada language has also been included in this version.

Blogswara is an internet music community which acts as a common platform for musicians (a majority of whom are amateurs) to showcase their talent before the world by producing original music and share it over the internet. It is also a free-music movement where visitors/listeners can listen and download the mp3 files free of cost. The songs are released over the Internet and as multi-lingual albums

അമ്മമഴക്കാറിനു-മാടമ്പി-യേശുദാസിന്റെ ശബ്ദഗാംഭീര്യം ഇന്നും നിറഞ്ഞു നില്ക്കുന്നു....

2008-11-16T10:30:00.007+05:30

Some songs belong to the singers who sing them. You can never ever imagine any other singer singing such songs. "Amma Mazhakkarinu" from "Maadambi", the "Mohanlal" starer and a big hit of 2008, belongs to this category. This song demands the depth and range of a voice that's unique. And that voice can only be of Dr. K.J Yesudas! When his song plays in the Theatre, all the other singers of the film vanish into oblivion ! Such is the sheer magic his heavy, soulful voice casts over us. His is the only voice that we never get tired of listening again and again and again. It is the perfect voice! It has aged over the years, but magnificence, splendour and total command has taken over from youthful exuberance. In these times when there are screamers who can only scream their songs at high pitches, his voice still travels from the lowest of notes to the highest of notes with ease. When you do not have many singers who can sing songs of such kind which require depth of voice, the music directors cannot be blamed. After the era of open voiced singing by those who had good voices, it was the era of those with husky voices and now it has been taken over by the era of screamers who scream at high decibels! Having a "good voice" is supposed to be a negative quality today. Music directors want the "different voice" and if you can sing off pitch too, then you are in the game :) In the name of the "variety voice" the genuine good voice has been ridiculed and ignored.

Raveendran Master used to compose such songs for Yesudas. Now M. Jayachandran has tried to emulate him. Is the strong resemblance the 1st interlude of this song has, to the second interlude of the song "Gopike" from "Nandanam" just a coincidence?
Dr. K.J Yesudas has rendered this song giving every thing that it demands. It's a no doubt, a 100% singer's song which would have definitely not reached the levels it has, if some other singer would have sung it. I have tried to sing it in the best way I can, with the available track that I got.

Song: Maadambi
Music: M. Jayachandran
Original Singer: K.J Yesudas
Lyrics: Gireesh Puthencherry

Broad Band Player:

Dial up Player:

Download This Song

Teri Duniya Se-Pavitra Paapi-Another gem from Kishore

2008-10-11T23:25:00.002+05:30

After a long gap am here again with a Kishoreda song. Ever since I heard this song in my College days, it has been one of my all time favourites. It's definitely one of Kishoreda's best songs in the sentimental category. His soulful sonorous voice has so much of depth and emotion in it. I have tried my best to do justice to this beautiful composition from Prem Dhawan which came out in 1970.

Song: Teri Duniya Se

Film: Pavitra Paapi (1970)

Original Singer: Kishore Kumar

Music Director: Prem Dhawan

Lyrics: Prem Dhawan

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Bhagavane-My Title Song for "Guruvayur Keshavan" being telecast on "Surya T.V". ഭഗവാനേ..."ഗുരുവായൂര്‍ കേശവന്‍" സീരിയലില്‍ ഞാന്‍ ആലപിച്ച ഗാനം....

2008-09-22T12:56:00.006+05:30

Recently, I sang a wonderful composition of "Vidhyadharan master" set in the Raga "Saraswati". "Gireesh Puthencherry" the famous lyricist of Malayalam Cinema has effectively managed to portray "Guruvayur Keshavan" the legendary elephant with expressive words and imagination! The serial is being telecast on "Surya" T.V daily at 8.30 P.M. The serial is directed by "Martin Chalissery". I have lent my voice for matinee idol "Kalabhavan Mani" who has acted in this song sequence.

ഗുരുവായൂര്‍ കേശവനെക്കുറിച്ചു ഗിരീഷ്‌ പുത്തഞ്ചേരി എഴുതിയ അര്‍ഥവത്തായ വരികള്‍ക്കു വിദ്യാധരന്‍ മാസ്റ്ററുടെ മനോഹരമായ ഈണം.....

ഈ സീരിയല്‍ എന്നും രാത്രി 8.30 നു "സൂര്യാ ടി.വി" യില്‍ കാണാം.....

Song: Bhagavane

Serial: Guruvayur Keshavan

Music: Vidyadharan Master

Lyrics: Gireesh Puthencherry

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amrita TV Superstar Junior 2, Music Reality Show Audition rounds!

2008-08-31T15:10:00.012+05:30

Me and Alex Paul

Recently, I had the opportunity to be the main judge for the audition rounds of the musical reality show "Superstar Junior-2 on Amrita TV" for children aged between 10-15. My journey ended abruptly with the audition rounds for reasons beyond my control though and I would have loved to be there for the whole show as I really do miss the kids whom I selected. I think the audition rounds where we had to select 15 out of almost 1000 odd children was the most toughest part as it always needs you have to give every bit of your energy, concentration and attention to the aspirants and see that the final 15 are really fit to be in the show. Now when I see my kids performing, I am proud to say that I really have been able to do full justice to the job that was entrusted upon me.
The audition rounds started from Calicut where I was teamed up with "Alex Paul", the biggest hit maker in recent times with the fim "Classmates". This time we did not want any child to leave the selection round in tears. We took all care to give every "singing" child enough opportunity to convince their talent. I would like to point out that you can clearly tell if one is a real singer or a bathroom singer just by hearing a line or two. This time we did not make the kids to sing alone. We made groups and then there were ice breaking methods like group singing, clapping, meditation, breathing techniques etc. to make them comfortable before they sang. Confidence is the most important aspect for any singer and if it is low then eventually singing suffers. We selected around 20 from Calicut. It was from here that we had the cream of the 15 those who are in the show now. Some of the amazing singers we discovered from Calicut were Parvathy, Manu, Varsha, Shafaz Ibi, Sangeeth and Rafna.
Next we were in Cochin and noted singer "Biju Narayanan" gave me company. We selected around 20 from there too and here, where we discovered Anjali who has one of the sweetest voices and cutest smiles among the participants. We also had the versatile Priya Jerson and Anjana with a lovely voice.
Thiruvananthapuram was next and noted playback singer "Arundhati" was with me as the judge. We also found some awesome talents like Nandana, Anakha, Vaisakhy, Sidharth, Anvar and Sreekanth.
Finally we had shortlisted our 60 aspirants from the 1000 we heard all over Kerala and it was left to me and "Mejo Joseph" noted Music Director (Notebook, Cycle fame) to prune them to 15. We started by hearing all the 60 aspirants again and then reduced them to 30. After that our job was almost impossible. Here we had 30 singers who were equally talented and the differences between them were minimal. But then years of experience gives you the extra sensory perception to sniff out the best with some divine interception. From here on I think it was the greatest Guru of all who sits there and sees all our tamasha who took over and made us take all the right steps. Even then I am terribly sad at leaving out some amazing singers from the 30 as we had our job cut out; select 15 who were extremely good singers, and would be potentially good performers.
All of us were amazed by the talent, skill and maturity of these kids who are our future. Many of them, we felt were beyond their tender age in terms of skill and maturity.

I should also wish to add that the whole crew led by Producerr/Director "Madanan" and the young Assistant Director "Nidheesh" (Nidheesh was one of the finalists of the first Musical reality show of Kerala Amrita T.V Super Star) were very enthusiastic and co-operative throughout. It was really a joy to work with such a young vibrant team!
I feel that this is the best reality show after Amrita TV Superstar I and ASIANET ISS 2007. Everything is good about it. Simplicity, Presentation, Elegance of the sets, Camera work, Excellent Orchestra Support, Sound quality, Editing.... everything is top class. I am sure that these kids would give the judges a run for their money as they would have to be vigilant always and would have a very tough time trying to find out who sang better than whom :)
I request all music lovers to watch the program which is being telecast on all days except Saturday's and Sunday's at 8.00 P.M. I assure you that you would understand why I am being so passionate about it.
All the major performances are being uploaded regularly by Amrita TV JSS2 team on YouTube and can be found here.
You Tube Videos: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=8BUsRrX5kSA
The video that I have embedded below shows one of the best performances so far. She is going to be the one to watch out for. I need not say more. The gestures by the judges say it all! And mind you....she is only 13 years of age!!

Parvathy Singing "Oru Sanam" in the Second Round

Photo & Video: Credits-Amrita T.V

ഡോണാ മയൂരയുടെ കവിതയുടെ സംഗീതാവിഷ്ക്കാരം.....

2008-08-28T22:54:00.008+05:30

ശ്രീ അനിൽ ബി. എസ് (1 , 2 ), ശ്രീ രാജേഷ് രാമൻ , എന്നിവർ ഒരുക്കിയ സംഗീതത്തിൽ ഞാന്‍ ആലപിച്ച ഡോണാ മയൂരയുടെ 'എത്ര നാൾ ഇങ്ങിനെ'യെന്ന ഗാനം നിങ്ങൾക്കായി ഇവിടെ സമർപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Song: Ethra Naal Ingane

Lyrics: Dona Mayoora

Music: Rajesh Raman

Orchestration: Anil B.S

This is an original song written by my talented friend Dona Mayoora, tuned by another upcoming talent Rajesh Raman and woven to beautiful music by Anil B.S. I immensely enjoyed singing this song and am grateful to the creators for allowing me to be a part in their creation! When simple touching lyrics flow with intricately woven melody it is sure to strike a chord in your heart!

Broad Band Player:

Dial-up Player:

Download This Song

Blog Camp Kerala 2008-An amazing, unforgettable experience!

2008-08-18T19:45:00.003+05:30

The first ever Blogger (Un) Conference on a Houseboat was held at Alappuzha on Saturday, the 16th of August 2008. The program was delayed by half an hour and started off by 10.30 as the houseboat arrived late after a previous night trip. I was very enthusiastic to see that almost all the confirmed participant's were there to board the boat. Except for a few of us in the early forty's and the early sixties almost all of them were very young from the I.T field and bubbling with energy. Their enthusiasm was the much needed catalyst to fire us all up. The meet was an informal one and the houseboat was sponsored by the Kerala Tourism department. Some of the other sponsor's were Oktatabyebye, IT's Life, Indiblogger, Mindmeister and Amvizone.
The program kicked off with self introductions and immediately the talks/discussions on some very interesting topics followed. The first one to talk was the French-Canadian Guillaume Marceau on the consequences of relentlessly hammering on the keyboard. His own wrist was permanently damaged by RSI and he had to leave a lucrative programming job for a teaching post at IITKM. He had his wrist and hand tied up in some sort of protective gear. He spoke on the advantages of using a speech recognition software like the "Dragon Naturally Speaking" in such circumstances.The next to follow was a very interesting and informative talk on Search Engine Optimisation techniques by Mani Karthik. Karthik spoke vastly on the methods of optimising a blog to earn a living out of it! The next talk was a very passionate one by Sridhar who has started Karnataka Election Watch, a blog which deals with citizen empowerment and assistance in knowing the politicians that we elect and send to the highest offices of power. It was a very relevant topic and I enjoyed every bit of it. By 1.45 P.M we had a long break and were treated to a sumptuous heavy lunch with karimeen fry, kappa, meen curry, chicken fry rice, sambar, thoran, pickle followed by semiya payasam. After lunch I talked about Audio Blogging, basic requirements; both hardware and software for recording a song and also did a demonstration on recording techniques.
Chandrasekharan Nair or the Kerala Farmer was the next one to follow with a talk on Rubber Board Statistics and how he had discovered errors and malpractices in many of their records and efforts he had taken to bring them to light. It was amazing to see the energy and enthusiasm displayed by this 60 year old who disclosed that he was only an S.S.L.C. But in spite of not being educated in the way the world sees, he endeared himself to the audience with his command on what he talked about. The program ended up with a talk on Campus Blogging by Kenny, one of the main organisers of the camp. Kudos to the young team of Kenney, Anand, Aravind and Jaleel who did a fabulous job of organising the event. I should say that guys, you really rocked! Hope we have more such Blog Camps in the future.

Some more links to the event:

http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/17/stories/2008081753540300.htm
http://teck.in/blogcamp-kerala-reviewing-the-unconference.html
http://blog.technoparktoday.com/2008/08/blogcampkerala-was-a-huge-success/
http://www.manikarthik.com/kerala-blogcamp-id-love-to-be-there-next-time/

Radhike Tune Bansuri Churayi-From the Golden Years!!

2008-08-09T10:31:00.005+05:30

A small but beautiful song of the yesterday years. Shanker-Jaikishen though more known for their Western classical music/Latin folk music treatment in their songs have created pure Hindustani Raga based songs too. Two of their hits in this genre are based on the same Raga too! Jhanak Jhanak (Mannadey) and Radhike Tune are these two.
Rafi Saaab has made this classical song an evergreen one in his golden voice.

I would like to thank Roshni my Blogger friend for suggesting this song and sending me the track.

Song: Radhike Tune
Film: Beti Bete
Original Singer: Mohammad Rafi
Music: Shanker Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Melle Melle Mukhapadam....When melody reigned supreme...

2008-07-06T22:23:00.003+05:30

This is another beautiful song from those times in the 90's when melody and lyrical value was supreme in films. The film "Oru Minnam Minunginte Nuruguvettam" was also a classic from Bharathan which was made immortal by the acting of Nedumudi Venu. Every song was excellent in the film. I have attempted "Melle Melle" from the film.

Song: Melle Melle
Film: Oru Minnam Minunginte Nurunguvettam
Original Singer: K.J Yesudas
Music: Johnson
Lyrics: O.N.V

Broad Band Player:

Dial-up Player:

Download This Song

Jashn Bahara-Another Jewel in A.R Rahman's Crown!

2008-05-29T22:32:00.005+05:30

A.R Rahman always rises like a phoenix time and time again when people start murmuring and say that he has exhausted his stuff. For A.R.R this mere doubt seems to be the fuel to exceed his own standards every now and then when such comments are uttered. I recently heard his songs from "Ada" and to be frank that sounded average and uninspired, going by his standards. The songs seemed to be more like the typical Hindi songs of the yesterday years. But I am always amazed by the amount of variations and colour he gives to his songs in 99% of his songs. The 1% of carelessness could be easily forgotten! He is amazingly gifted, no doubt. But he does lot of research and hard work on listening to world music which makes him up to date with the ever changing demands of time. He also gives ample respect to the genuine music lover. When he teams up with Javed Akhtar and the likes of Ashutosh Gowarikar or Subhash Ghai, he raises his standards by leaps and bounds and brings novelty to what ever he creates with them. The songs from Jodha Akbar are no different. I have attempted an amazing melody from this movie sung beautifully by Javed Ali. Curiously, Javed Ali sounds like Sonu Nigaam in the beginning of this song and then sounds like Naresh Iyer at some parts! The song also shows how A.R.R innovates and uses his library of sound samples and acoustic instruments to perfection. This song is characterised by the absence of any string tones compared to many of his other songs. The flute is also used sparingly! The ethnic instrument tones are in tune with the historic era that this film depicts. This song is ample proof for the fact that there is no substitute for melodious music, beautiful lyrics, acoustic tones and the beauty of the human voice! Only such songs from this era, will stand the test of time.

Song: Jashn Bahara

Film: Jodha Akbar (2008)

Music: A.R Rahman

Original Singer: Javed Ali

Lyrics: Javed Akhtar

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Sunidhi Chauhan performing in Meri Awaz Suno Mega Finals 1996-First Round

2008-05-27T06:23:00.010+05:30

Annu Kapoor introducing the judges and the first round performances by Sunidhi and myself

After a long gap, I am back with some nostalgic and rare video footages; the introduction of judges and the first round of "Meri Awaz Suno" 1996 which was the turning point in my life and those winning moments! I had been for long planning to get the videos out from the fungus infected VHS tapes and finally managed to clean and transfer the tapes to digital format. This has been a long standing demand from my ardent fans. Many of those from the younger generation would not have seen the so called "first reality show" on singing talent hunt. When I searched "YouTube", I was not able to find any footage of Meri Awaz Suno, and so decided to do it myself. For those who have seen it in 1996, it would be wonderful and nostalgic again, to watch the 12 year old Sunidhi singing "Tu Chanda Mai Chandni" in front of one of the greatest living legends in music, of our times....Lata Mangeshkar! The video also reminds us the story of unkept tall promises....promises that even today are made to the amazingly talented winners of our reality shows which are made just not to be kept! It's been 12 long years after "Meri Awaz Suno"....The journey has been long from then to now.....

The winning moments!

Superstar Rajnikanth launches the audio of "Bujjigadu-Made in Chennai" which has my first Telugu Film Song!

2008-04-19T17:33:00.019+05:30

K.S Ramarao, Sandeep Chowta, Prabhas, Puri Jagannath and Rajnikanth

And finally it is out! Yes folks....My first Telugu film song is out in the market now. When Sandeep Chowta told me "Pradeep....it will not get bigger than this" when I was recording the song, I did not even imagine that it would be so big!
Superstar Rajinikanth officially launched the first audio of the film 'Bujjigadu - Made In Chennai' at a function that was organized at the Andhra club in Chennai, yesterday evening at 6 p.m.
Speaking at the audio release function of the Telugu movie 'Bujjigadu – Made In Chennai', Rajnikanth, said, "Puri Jaganath" introduced Kannada matinee idol Rajukumar's son on to the silver screen. Chiranjeevi's son is shaping his career in filmdom under the able guidance of Puri Jaganath. Had I had a son, I would have ensured that he is introduced to cinema by Jaganath."
On taking part in the function, the superstar also commented, "normally I am choosy on attending public functions. However when I was approached for this event, I told to them to have a gala function at Andhra Club."
Directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by K.S Rama Rao, 'Bujjigadu - Made In Chennai' features Prabhas and Trisha in lead roles. The lead pair was also present for the audio launch, among other film personalities. Priyamani and Sanjana too added gloss to the already glittering evening.
Rajinikanth also expressed his confidence that this movie starring Prabhas, Trisha and Mohan Babu would go on to become a big hit.
Sandeep Chowta has scored music for the movie and all the songs have reportedly come good. The music of this film is being released by Aditya Music Company.
The film would hit the big screen on 16th May. The audio CD is available at all music outlets across Andhra and leading Music outlets like Planet-M and Times Music outlets across the country.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear my song here:

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VIDEO OF THE SONG:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can find the news and more photos here:
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/telugu/gallery/Events/15059.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The video of the release function could be viewed here:
http://images.indiaglitz.com/playerV2/launchredirect.asp?vid=32349&category=5026

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And you can hear all the songs from the movie and even buy online from here:

http://www.raaga.com/channels/telugu/movie/A0001293.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Poove Semboove-An alltime classic by Illaiyaraja

2008-04-17T07:25:00.008+05:30

After a long layoff from the blogging world due to the shocking death of my dearest friend Philip and then a bad viral fever which gave me a long lasting cough and sinusitis, I am back again.
This song has been one of my favorites all along since I heard it in the 80's. Even though the picturisation of this song was atrocious in the film, the song has lived through the ages due to the sheer compositional brilliance of Illayaraja, touching lyrics by Vaali and the mesmerising voice of K.J Yesudas!
I would like to thank my Muziboo friend Kumar Srinivasan for sharing the Karaoke track with me.

Song: Poove Semboove
Film:Solla Thudikuthu Manasu (1988)
Singer: K.J Yesudas
Music Director: Illaiyaraja
Lyrics: Vaali

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Philip V Francis.....The God's took him away to lead their Choir......

2008-03-04T14:00:00.005+05:30

As I write this post tears don't seem to stop rolling from my eyes....Till last Tuesday he was there....and today he is no more in this world. I am totally devastated .....I can't even think of my musical world without my Philip....He was the only person with whom I talked my heart out about music....And now a terrible bike accident has taken him away from this world....The God's must be crazy....or jealous...He met with this terrible mishap right at the front gate of the Church where he used to lead the Choir.....He sang so much for God.....and God took him away so soon....Maybe to lead his Choir....maybe to let Philip's dream come true....he would meet his favourite musicians there....Baburaj, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Madan Mohan....He was a soul who could not even think of harming anybody...And why would he have to bear such such a fate? His sole wealth was music....He lived and breathed music.....Till day before yesterday there was hope....Today early morning he was clinically pronounced dead....after he fought with the inevitable for a week....we all prayed for him....did he really want to die? Was he fed up of this world where genuine music was becoming a rare commodity?

It may seem a coincidence...but Music Director "Raveendran Master" left us on a March 3. Now Philip who has worked with him leaves us on a March 4th!

I can't write more.....I am totally shattered and in shock!

I had written about his genius before here...

http://www.pradipsomasundaran.com/2006/10/introducing-genius-of-philip-v-francis.html
I re-post this song of his........in his memory....Every time I had heard this song I had cried....and I had told Philip about it....He had just smiled.....Now I know why!

May his soul rest in peace....

Song: Mezhuthiri Poole
Composer: Philip V Francis
Singer:Manisha
Album: Kanneer(Christian Devotional)
Lyrics: Cicily Devassy

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Chandana Manivaathil-Nostalgic Raveendran!

2008-02-24T13:43:00.010+05:30

Before Reveendran Master had departed from this world, he had given at least one gem to every singer which he or she could treasure for ever in life! Chandana Manivaathil was such a gem of a song that G. Venugopal had the opportunity to sing. Though the film did not see the light of the day, it was one of the best songs that Venu ever sang. Based on the raga "Hindolam" it creates a magical aura of romance and mystery for the listener. Sometimes it makes me wonder if this song was created just for Venu. It has become immortal in his voice!

Raveendran Master left this world on 3rd March 2005. But he lives within our hearts always!

Song: Chandana Manivaathil
Film: Marikkunnilla Njan (1988)
Music: Raveendran
Original Singer: G. Venugopal
Lyrics: Ezhacheri Ramachandran

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

Ajab Si-Om Shanti Om.....K.K Shines Again.....

2008-02-12T20:55:00.004+05:30

"This is one of the best romantic songs I have ever heard in the recent times" is what Sharukh Khan himself said about the song "Ajab Si" from O.S.O! Its very true indeed. Simple, elegant, with minimum orchestration, but enchanting, melodious and immensely romantic is this song rendered by K.K. He has sung his heart out in this wonderful song set to tune by the immensely talented duo of "Vishal-Shekhar". This song though not played fully in the movie is used at all places when King Khan meets the petite Deepika Padukone! It takes you to a world of romance and dreams!

Love Makes Life Live! For those who really hold love in their hearts, every day is a celebration!

Let True Love Live Forever......

Song: Ajab Si

Film: Om Shanti Om

Original Singer: K.K (K Krishnakumar Menon)

Music: Vishal-Shekhar

Lyrics: Vishal Dadlani

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song

(Am very sorry to say that I had to remove the Video due to copyright issues)

കാക്കക്കുയിലേ....ചൊല്ലൂ...കൈ നോ‍ക്കാനറിയാമോ...

2008-02-01T23:12:00.001+05:30

ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന ഇതിഹാസമാണു ദക്ഷിണാമൂര്‍ത്തി സ്വാമികള്‍....അദ്ദേഹം മലയാള സിനിമയില്‍ ചെയ്ത എല്ലാ ഗാനങ്ങളും ശാസ്ത്രീയ സംഗീതത്തില്‍ അലിഞ്ഞു ചേര്‍ന്ന മുത്തുകളായിരുന്നു....
അ‍‍ങ്ങിനെ ഒരു മുത്താണു ഞാന്‍ ഇവിടെ ഇന്നു അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്നതു....
എന്റെ കൂടെ പാടുന്നതു ശരണ്യാ... പരിയാരം മെഡിക്കല്‍ കോളജില്‍ രണ്‍‍ടാം വര്‍ഷ M.B.B.S നു പഠിക്കുന്നു......
വിടരുന്ന...കുഞ്ഞു പൂവിന്റെ നറുമണം...മാധുര്യം...ഈ ശബ്ദത്തില്‍ അനുഭവിക്കാം....
ഇന്നു പിറന്നാള്‍ ആഘോഷിക്കുന്ന ശരണ്യക്കു....ഈ ഗാനത്തിലൂടെ...എല്ലാ മംഗളങ്ങളും നേരുന്നു.....

ഗാനം: കാക്കക്കുയിലേ ചൊല്ലു
ചിത്രം: ഭര്‍ത്താവു
സംഗീതം: വി. ദക്ഷിണാമൂര്‍ത്തി
വരികള്‍: പി. ഭാസ്കരന്‍
ആലാപനം: യേശുദാസ്, യെല്‍. ആ‍ര്‍. ഈശ്വരി

Broad Band Player:

Dialup Player:

Download This Song