Abhinav Bindra - Shooting to Fame

Abhinav Bindra has shot to fame - yes, quite literally!

Yesterday, as I watched the Indian Tricolour being raised up on the laptop screen via CNN-IBN News Stream, a young Abhinav (sharing the podium with fellow athletes from China and Finland) with a Gold medal dangling around his neck, the Indian National Anthem was being played in the background. That immediately brought another Indian to my mind - AR Rahman and the project Jana Gana Mana.

The commonalties between the two men are striking:

1. Both of these men have made it big in their mid twenties. Rahman was 24 years old when he shot to fame with Roja. Abhinav is 25 now and an Olympian.
   
2. None of us knew who Rahman was (then Dilip Kumar) when he composed jingles. Similarly, no one bothered about Abhinav's performances in Commonwealth and other games.
   
3. Both the men are reserved. They do not talk much. Instead they divert that energy to more meaningful tasks, like winning an Olympics Gold medal.
   
4. They both are the pride and joy of India. While Rahman breathed innovation and life into our National Anthem through the project Jana Gana Mana, Abhinav made the world hear it live through his stellar performance in the 10 m shooting range at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

India wishes Abhinav good luck. May his tribe increase!

Before I sign off, here is a soulful composition by Rahman called Vellai Pookkal (white flowers in Tamil) from the movie Kannatthil Muttamittaal. Lyrics have been pennned by Kaviarasu Vairamuthu. This song won Vairamuthu one of his 5 National Awards for the Best Lyrics; one other prominent one being for the song Tamizha Tamizha from the movie Roja).

Vellai Pookkal: Composed and Sung by: AR Rahman; Lyrics: Vairamuthu

My lousy translation of the award winning lyrics:

May white flowers bloom all over this world
May the next dawn on the earth be a peaceful one
May the beautiful yellow sunlight bathe the soil once again
May the flowers lose their laziness and bloom
May the infant wake up in mother’s warm lap
May the world brighten by the infant’s toothless little smile

Verse1: Could the breeze’s grand melodies and the music created by raindrops, provide the joy that one gets in silence?
Would a million compositions and words penned by poets, be as meaningful as a drop of tear shed?

Verse 2: Where a little child stretches out its hand, oh beautiful white moon, won’t you appear there?
Where the human race stops war and shedding blood, there, won’t a white Cuckoo sing her songs?