 All roads in Chennai led to the India Pistons Grounds at Taramani, where it was a musical extravaganza nite by A R Rahman for a noble cause, to help those afflicted with cancer.
However, entering the venue was a difficult task as there were traffic jams with the large number of vehicles moving to the venue.
The concert
'Unity of Light', in memory of music composer Mahesh who passed away recently due to cancer, was dedicated by Rahman not only to Mahesh but also for the millions fighting this disease.
The event organised by the Mahesh Memorial Trust to help those affected by cancer had attained its objective, thanks to this talented composer.
Even though he had stamped his authority as a prodigal music sensation and even took the entire Britain by storm through Andrew Llyod Weber's ' Bombay Dreams', Rahman had stayed away from live shows. But this was what the music lovers in the city got; sung by A R Rahman himself, it was indeed a sort of music which had gone into the hearts and nerves of
Chennaivasis.
It was S P Balasubramaniam, Mano, Hariharan, Sreenivas, Sukhwinder Singer, Karthik, Unni Krishnan, S Janaki, Chitra, Swarnalatha, Sujatha, Anupama, Mahalakshmi, Sadhana Sargam and Vasundhara Das who joined hands with Rahman on the stage.
The chartbusters from 'Thiruda Thiruda', 'Gentleman',' Kadhalan', 'Roja', 'Bombay', 'Uyire', 'Jeans', 'Muthu', 'Baba', 'Alaipayuthe' a couple of Hindi blockbusters - 'Lagaan', 'Taal' and even a song from his smashing-hit 'Bombay Dreams' were performed.
The pick of the evening was Rahman rendering 'Vande Mataram', which has become an anthem among the youngsters.
Earlier, lyricists Valee and Vairamuthu complimented Rahman for accepting to perform for a noble cause. Director Mani Ratnam looked after the arrangements, while Suhasini Mani Ratnam hosted the show.
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