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10 things to learn from A. R. Rehman

By Priya Kumar

A.R. Rehman has practically become a living legend in the music industry. With success following him

with every passing year, the 43 year old soft spoken maestro still prayers before every composition andchooses to love in all he is and all he does. With a humble beginning to worldwide recognition at the

Oscars, his journey has been the path less trodden. Here is following A.R. Rehman to his stardom and

leading you to yours.

1.Train well: A.R. Rehman started playing the piano at age of 4. And ever since he has trained under

almost every great musician the industry has had to offer. Be aware that learning takes time, money

and above all humility. You cannot expect to earn before you learn. And when you do get to learn, take

it to the point of mastery like Rehman did.

2.Go the extra mile when you start: At the age of 19, Rehman used to play the keyboard for Zakir

Hussain’s troupe and even after his work, he would stay back in the studio, sitting through other

musicians pieces, eyes and ears tuned in, constantly imbibing. How far you want to go in your life is

determined by how far you will go in your quest to learn and get better.

3.There is no substitute for experience: Before Rehman composed his first song for films, he had the

experience of 300 jingles behind him. And before he composed his first jingle, he had 10 years

experience of playing music in concerts, big and small. And before Rehman got his first Oscar, he had

39 years of active music experience behind him. Success is a series of experiences, the more the

experience, the closer you are to success.

4.Work comes first, money follows: Even though Rehman’s advertising career was flourishing he

accepted to compose music for Mani Ratnam at Rs.25,000. It was a sum that he could make in three

days composing ad jingles. But he did the project for the sake of expressing his talent and not for themoney. If you want to make a new start, focus on your work, the money will follow.

5.Work your options well: Rehman was a well trained musician but before starting something new he

worked his options out well in advance. Before he quit advertising to take up music composition for

films he learnt driving so that he could at least temporarily survive as a driver in case the film world

ended for him.

6.Have a work philosophy: Rehman has a very strict work philosophy, "Rather than making money, I

believe in making people happy; all other things are secondary.” If your work makes people happy, you

are in business and on the path of progress.

7.Treat others with dignity and importance: It is every singer’s dream to work with A R Rehman

because he makes you feel like God. His singers even go to the extent of saying that he makes you feel

as if you are AR Rehman and he is just an ordinary fellow. When you treat people with importance you

put them in a state of peak performance. And when your team, department and colleagues perform

well, overall you stand to win too.

8.Get the best out of your team: Rehman tries to extract something extra from every one of his

musicians as well as his playback singers. He believes in their additional input. And with that he makes

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a point to improvise, every single time. Getting the opinions of those involved in your project is the

smarted thing one can do to in order to project a master piece to the world.

9.Work with people: According to Rehman his best music comes when there's an exchange of ideas,

when there are stories that inspire him. Connecting with people and his team and picking their brains

keeps his creativity to the highest.

10.Learn to say no: Rehman’s philosophy is simple, "To achieve something you have to take the risk of 

offending someone by saying no.” He can only do so many films and can compose only so many songs

and has to turn down others because he just can’t do it all. Saying no is important to remain in the

business of quality.

11.There is no burnout in work: Rehman believes that a burnout occurs when one is not happy with

what he is doing. If you are doing work out of family pressures or financial hassles, keep your eye

rested on your passion, and follow it with the first opportunity. Because if you enjoy what you do, you

will never want to take a break.

12.Success is a start, not an end: On winning the Oscar’s, which is a lifetime achievement for many,Rehman was humble enough to say "It's a starting point in my career”. When you succeed, you have

only started. The true journey of responsibility and creativity begins here on.