 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Good
 morning.
 This is such an exciting
 morning for us.  My name is
 Sridhar Ramaswamy.  I run the
 Ads and Commerce team here at
 Google.
 Music occupies a really
 special place in all of our
 hearts.  We all remember our
 lives by our favorite
 melodies and the times when
 we
 we heard them.
 The time when Roja first came
 out, I distinctly remember as
 a time that my life with my
 fiancee, my wife, then was
 forming.  So music really
 touches all of us in ways
 that are incredibly perm and
  personal
 and special.
 And the people who create
 this music literally can move
 entire countries and
generations.
 And A.R. Rahman is one of the
 world's most renowned
 musicians.  And when I heard
 that he was visiting the
 area, the first thing, of
 course, I did was buy tickets
 for me and my wife to see his
 concert this evening.  And I
 am very excited about that. 
 And then when I was given the
 opportunity to actually have
 him here, have him be in
 front of all of you, I jumped
 at that opportunity.  And,
 you know, it's going to be
 quite an amazing time.
 A.R. Rahman is, of course, as
 I said, one of the world's
 most famous, most renowned
 moo sigses, known
 musicians, known for his
 unique style of blending
 instruments, performers,
 working with people across
 the world.
 His accomplishments are also
 stunning.  He, of course, has
 won two Academy Awards, two
 grammy awards, and in
 addition, he's won four
 national music awards in
 India, 15 film for music
 awards, and 13 film for south
 India music awards.
 And while he's an amazing
 musician, he's also a deep
 humanist that has contributed
 heavily to the cause of
 impoverished women and
 children.  And he's also
 started the K.M.
 conservatory.  This was in
 2008, to help aspiring
 musicians reach their true
 potential.
 And it's my incredible
 privilege, honor, and
 pleasure to have A.R. on
 stage with us today.
 Please give him a big round
 of applause.
 [ Applause ]
 [ Cheers and applause ]
Welcome.
 [ Applause ]
Welcome to Google.  We are so
 delighted to have you here. 
 We have about a 500 Googlers
 here, and we also have a live
 stream on YouTube that tons
 of people are watching. 
 We'll get you the stats on
 how many people are watching. 
 I know my mom is watching
 from Austin.
 [ Laughter ]
 And I thought, you know, I
 would kick this off with a
 few questions.
 But before that, I was told
 by your team that you
 actually wanted to be,
 believe it or not, a computer
 engineer when he was growing
 up.
 [ Laughter ]
 Well, I am happy to say that
 Google's loss is the world's
 gain.  So we're very happy
 you decided not to be a
 computer engineer.
 But in case you change your
 mind, if you decided to be,
 we will keep a spot reserved
 for you, and that you can
 have this --
 [ Cheers and applause
 ]
  >>A.R. Rahman:  Thank you. 
 I'm very, very pleased to be
 here.  And nice to see all of
 you.
 I don't get up in the morning
 normally, but I had to do
 especially for --
 [ Laughter ]
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  So this
 is someone who will make all
 of our engineers proud.
 I asked him, you know, where
 do you come from?  He said he
 flew over from L.A. this
 morning.  And I said, okay,
 you must have gotten up
 early.  When did you go to
 sleep?  He said, normally, I
 sleep by 4:30.  And so it's
 really early for him.  And
 it's quite a treat for us.
 You know, you have an
 incredible musical style that
 blends traditional, modern,
 religious, and uses so many
 different, you know,
 instruments.
 Where do you draw the
 inspiration for this kind of
 music?  And how do you bring
 it all together?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I grew up
 listening to various kind of
 music, and nobody told me
 what to listen to.  So when I
 started composing, it was a
 part of my pallet.  It was
 not negsal, I'm going to do a
 beat here or a -- it came
 naturally.
 And it felt right.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And,
 you know, when you're
 thinking about composing, how
 does this music come to you? 
 Is it something that you sit
 quietly to imagine?  Or do
 you think about a situation
 and the Melody flows into
 your head?
 What is that like?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I come from
 various sensibilities,
 because I was playing with
 the southern Indian composers
 before.  And I knew how the
 tunes would be, kind of. 
 Then I did commercials.  So
 in commercials, it's always,
 like, how do you catch the
 listener in five seconds, ten
 seconds, how do you make a
 tune memorable.  Constant --
 today, you look at them, and
 as if they want to say
 something new and say the
 same thing.  It should be
 catchy, it should be
 memorable.
 I said, okay, I know that. 
 For three years, and then I
 got sick of it.
 And when movies came in, when
 I started scoring movies, all
 these things were in my head. 
 So I used parts of different
 ideas from different
 experiences.
 Then later, now, after 20
 years, I feel like I should
 move on.  And since I have a
 classical conservatory back
 in chennai, to write more
 pieces with more depth in it
 so people can play on piano
 and write.  There's still
 time for that, I guess.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy: 
 Speaking of movies, you know,
 you composed amazing scores. 
 But the whole process just
 seems so very daunting, of
 composing a score for an
 entire music that is two
 hours long.  You know, for us
 nonmusicians, you know, here,
 how do you even begin to
 think about, you know, a
 process like that?  Do you
 work closely with the
 director and producer to get
 a feel for what the story is? 
 How does this all, like, come
 together from beginning to
 end?  It seems like such a
 Mammoth undertaking.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  It's simple,
 yet complicated.
 First of all, you go into
 what the movie needs.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Yep.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  And sometimes
 you go with it, and sometimes
 you go against it.  Because
 if that kind of movie has
 come before, then you try a
 different treatment.      And
 that treatment makes the
 whole movie newer.
 So the various attributes we
 sit and brainstorm and get to
 a position where, okay, let's
 treat this movie like this.
 Like in -- he was doing a
 romantic thing.  And I said
 the sound of today has
 changed.  It has become very
 (indiscernible).  But we need
 to have our style, our
 footprint on it.
 So it took a while, probably
 two, three months to get a
 hybrid tone but still having
 traditional stuff in it.  And
 people liked it, I guess,
 so....
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And,
 you know, of course, in
 India, language is another
 huge dimension.  So you have
 composed music now for, you
 know, films in a dozen
 languages.  And sometimes,
 you know, the same movie gets
 released, of course, in many,
 many different languages.
 So how do you think about the
 interaction between music and
 the lyrics that you have put
 into the modeldy?  How
 Melody?  How many
 languages do you speak, by
 the way?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I don't speak
 any language properly.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Well.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  A little bit
 of English, a little bit of
 TILAGU.  Hindi I can sing,
 but I can't speak.
 [ Laughter ]
 [ Applause ]
 >>A.R. Rahman:  And I can
 read a bit of Arabic.  So
 those are the things.  I
 tried to learn Mandarin, but
 I --
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And so
 when you are, you know --
 when you're --
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Your question
 about --
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  The
 lyrics, who writes them.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  So last year,
 I had done Hindi, TAMIL,
 Persian, and
 Portuguese,
 which is a movie coming next
 year, based on PELE.  And a
 Persian movie.
 And then one movie was a
 (indiscernible) movie, a
 Hindi movie.  Yeah.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And do
 you have, then, people
 translate some of the lyrics
 that you write into these
 other languages?  Do you hear
 them?  How much do you --
 >>A.R. Rahman:  The director
 works very close with the
 lyric writer.
 But what the song has to say
 is one of my decisions, too. 
 The title of the song and the
 notion of it, and -- so that
 I work very closely, and the
 rest of the stuff they fill
 up beautifully.
 And so half the -- it's a --
 when you're working on a
 movie, it's beautiful,
 because if -- you have
 competent people working.  We
 kind of have a healthy
 competition, and all of us
 come to create one product,
 which is beautiful.
 Sometimes it works.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy: 
 That's -- well, I think it's
 worked more than sometimes,
 as we all can attest.
 So I heard, by the way, that
 you were at the White House
 recently.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Yeah.  There
 was a screening of (saying
 name).
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  That's
 amazing.  Did you get to meet
 President Obama?  What was
 that experience like?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  No.  I met
 him last time for the Indian
 state dinner.  He was a big
 fan of Slumdog.  They send me
 Christmas cards.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Oh. 
 Woo-hoo!
 [ Applause ]
 Yeah.  He hasn't sent me any.
 [ Laughter ]
How do you keep your energy
 up?  You know, there is --
 you said you did a concert
 yesterday in L.A.  There's
 the concert this evening in
 San Jose.  You're traveling
 in between.  How do you just
 keep your energy up?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  All of it --
 where I started and people
 saw all the listings, they
 were, like, what are you
 going to do?  Are you going
 to come back alive?
 [ Laughter ]
 So -- but -- so when you're
 performing, it's a whole new
 energy.  And different places
 have different -- and people
 make you regenerate it, the
 kind of love they give.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  You get
 that energy from the crowd?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Amazing.  So
 far so good.  We just have
 three more to go.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  How
 many more?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Three more
 out of 18.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Okay. 
 So you're at the very end of
 it.  That's amazing.  That is
 amazing.
 And, of course, you had a
 number of celebrated
 collaborations with many
 different people.  Anything
 that you would highlight as
 being an amazingly special
 experience, you know, a
 movie, an actor, a singer,
 one of the, you know, other
 amazing folks like Mick
 Jagger that you have
 collaborated with?  What
 stands out for you?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I've been
 very, very lucky.  I'm very
 content, because I got --
 first of all, one of my dream
 directors worked with me for
 the first film, ROJA.     
 Then I worked with Andrew
 Lloyd Weber.  I worked with
 (saying name), all of them
 who I admired.
 I worked with (saying name). 
 And just before he passed
 away.
 And I worked with Danny
 BOYLE, very sympathetic
 towards music.  And I just
 met Terrence MALIC recently. 
 We just met.  He was based in
 Austin.  He couldn't come for
 the show, but he
 (indiscernible) music.
 And the one I want to work
 with may be Stevie Wonder.
 I have met him twice, but,
 unfortunately, we couldn't
 work together.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  That's
 very cool.
 So I think we are going to
 now take questions that have
 been submitted on the G+ page
 and on YouTube.  So it will
 be a mixture of questions
 that we are going to play on
 the monitor and things that
 I'm going to read off that
 were submitted to us via G+.
 So the first question, which
 is going to be on YouTube,
 it's from, of all places,
 Australia.  That's amazing. 
 From Australian fans Fred
 Taylor and Daniel Lee.
 Could we roll the video
 number one, please.
 >>> Hi.  My name is Fred.
 >>> My name is Daniel.
 >>> We're from Australia, and
 we're big fabs fans of your 
work. 
 We've both got some questions
 today.  My question is, can
 you tell us more about your
 latest technology that you
 use when composing music.
 >>> And on that note, I just
 want to know how you feel
 about the use of
 (indiscernible).
 >>> Thanks a
 lot.
 >>A.R. Rahman:
  My philosophy
 about using technology is,
 you have to master them.  It
 needs to work for you, and
 you shouldn't work for that.
 And so when I come to a
 stage, if I'm using software,
 I wait till I master it and
 my thoughts go straight into
 that rather than taking the
 manual, oh, how do you use
 this?  How do you edit?
 So even if it takes two
 years, I'll be in another
 room, jamming with it.  And
 one day, I'll say, guys,
 change it, bring it to the
 main room.  So that's been
 going.
 I used to work with hardware
 sequences before.  And to
 switch to logic, which is
 what I'm using, Logic Pro, it
 took two years.  I watched a
 German programmer who worked
 with me, (saying names), he
 was using it, and a couple of
 Australians were using it. 
 And it took me probably '97
 or '98 is when I switched to
 total software.
 And so I'm using Logic Pro,
 to answer your question,  
 and then we use PROTOSE for
 mixing.  And then we use a
 bit of (saying name) to add
 harmnies and everything.
 We use (indiscernible)
 sometimes intentionally just
 to give an effect.  Because
 we have amazing singers.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  That's
 cool.  I think that -- we all
 see the inspiring work that
 comes out.  But, clearly,
 you're saying just to change
 one instrument or one aspect
 of the music, you literally
 go through years of training
 and practice.  I think there
 is a lot to be learned there.
 The second question is from
 G+, from Google+.  And it's
 from user Balaji T.  And his
 question is, what is your
 advice and motivation for
 young people who want to
 pursue a career in music? 
 With what amount of knowledge
 and content does one break
 through?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I feel
 whatever -- first of all, you
 need to have an ear for
 music.  You need to love
 beautiful stuff.  Then it
 becomes part of you.
 It's even within spirituality
 or music, the same thing, the
 more you start getting into
 something, and then it
 becomes you.
 And so if you're
 halfheartedly doing something
 and you don't give enough
 time, it's not worth it. 
 But -- and you don't even
 think about sustenance,
 nothing, just go and do it
 and become a master of it,
 people will come following
 you.  And that's the
 truth.
 [ Applause ]
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  That's
 wonderful.
 Next up, we have a video
 question from Kevin Jenkinson
 from Dublin, Ireland.
 Let's roll video number two,
 please.
 [ Video ]
 >>> Hi, Kevin Jenkinson here,
 journalist in Dublin,
 Ireland.  With the success of
 Slumdog Millionaire and the
 super bands, performing with
 Mick Jagger, you've been a
 global icon.  What is the one
 wish you have for the world? 
 And how do you think your
 fans can contribute to that
 one wish globally?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  What is --
 what did he say?
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  He's
 saying what is the one wish
 you have for the world and
 how do you think your fans
 can contribute to that one
 wish globally?
 >>A.R. Rahman:
  There is a
 lot of I would say impatience
 with many things, you know. 
 Sometimes even on the table,
 if your food comes late, you
 start questioning and saying,
 why did you bring it late and
 starting trouble.  But you
 can also be patient, you can
 be calm, in the Zen mode, so
 that you don't spoil the, you
 know, aura of the place.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Yeah.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  And that
 comes even in a major level. 
 And in a street, in a state,
 in a country, in the world,
 even on the net, you see
 YouTube.  You just put
 anything, and you have 30
 comments down about the race,
 about sex, about everything. 
 And it's so unfortunate.  And
 then nobody wants to see the
 video.  They want to see what
 the comments are.
 [ Laughter ]
 They're so (indiscernible).
 So I'm going to probably have
 albums, comments are off. 
 Just listen to the music and
 internalize it and speak to
 yourself.
 And to deal with many major
 situations, I think we are
 all judgmental, we are -- for
 me, I think I'm judging
 myself constantly.  So I
 don't have time for judging
 outside.
 And that's the basic thing. 
 I think today's, if we are
 more patient, then we are
 more open and nonjudgmental,
 I think the world would be a
 better place.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  I love
 that.  More patience, more
 tolerance.  That's wonderful.
 [ Applause ]
The next question is from
 Ashutosh Gupta.  And he asks,
 name the one album, by any
 artist, that has influenced
 and inspired you and your
 music the
 most.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  There is not
 one.  There are many,
 actually.
 Peter Gabriel, John Williams,
 and (saying names).  Then in
 south India, we have (saying
 names).  And north India,
NOSHAD, (saying name).
 So if you look at the beauty
 in everything, you -- as I
 told you before, it affects
 you in a good way.  And it
 restarts all of you.  And
 even music, it's very
 important.      Rather than
 shutting off and thinking --
 and then you can go further
 from there, where they left.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  That's
 great.
 And, you know, personally, I
 think the loss of (saying
 name) is one of the most
 tragic things that's happened
 to music in many, many years
 at such a young age.
 We have another YouTube
 question.  This is from
 Google intern Shailee Samar. 
 And she wants to know what
 shaped your path when you
 were younger.
 Let's roll the video, please.
 >>> Hi, my name is SHAILEE. 
 I'm 19 years old.  I'm one of
 the very excited interns in
 this audience.
 When you were 19 years old,
 what sorts of ideas,
 thoughts, and dreams did you
 have in your head and heart? 
 And how have those shaped you
 to become who you are today?
  >>A.R. Rahman:  When I was
 19, I was working, I
 guess. 
 I was very confused.
 [ Laughter ]
 I didn't know whether anybody
 would give a girl to me to
 get married.
 [ Laughter ]
 Because I left school.  I
 left high school.  I was
 playing the studios.  And
 there was constant gossip in
 the studio that said music
 and all the film industry
 will end very soon, we will
 go jobless.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  What
 kept you going?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  There was no
 other job I knew.
 [ Laughter ]
 [ Applause
 ]
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And
 when did you really begin to
 feel like what you are doing
 was a profession, that --
 something that you could, you
 know, keep doing for a long
 time?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  After the
 first movie, after ROJA, I
 think the whole
 (indiscernible), and when I
 realized I have to learn a
 lot is when, you know, the
 motivation to -- and I was
 getting paid for learning.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  That's
 right.  I mean, that's --
 that's what the best jobs
 have, which is what I tell my
 children, for example.  It's
 not a job if you love it. 
 And the fact that you get
 paid for it just becomes,
 like, this big bonus on the
 side.
 Next question is from
 Srikanth Marthi.  This is
 from G+.
 How do you choose your
 movies?  Based on the
 director or the script?  And
 she also says, since Slumdog,
 your Indian film scores have
 had a distinct international
 flavor to them.  Was this a
 conscious effort?  And will
 you do a pure Indian album,
 taking us back to our early
 days?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Many
 questions.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Lots of
 questions.  Four questions.
 [ Laughter ]
 Let's start with the simple
 one.  How do you choose your
 movies?  Is it the director? 
 Is it the script?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I choose with
 the necks of intention of a 
team.  If
 they have good intention and
 they have done something good
 before, at least I know they
 are going to try to do
 something good.  Most of the
 times, it's good.  Sometimes
 it goes down the wrong path.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And
 then the other ones were,
 after you did Slumdog
 Millionaire, your music has a
 very international feel.  Is
 this conscious?  Do you want
 to, you know, go back --
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I think the
 expectations were, like, if
 you take iTunes or
 anything, anybody can access
 that music.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  That's
 right.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  It doesn't
 have to be, you know, certain
 people.  If they want to
 listen to my music.  So it
 had to have a consistency in
 it.  And maybe because of
 that.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And you
 know, of course, you also
 have a lot of fans on
 YouTube.  How do you think
 about YouTube as a medium? 
 I was checking your channel
 last night.  You have, if I
 remember correctly, something
 like 150,000 subscribers to
 your channel.  What do you
 think of the medium.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I think
 YouTube is a blessing. 
 Because there was a
 bottleneck before.  If
 anybody was talented, they
 had to go through sources,
 and they -- oh, can you put
 me on this thing, can you put
 me on the cover.  Nobody
 cares anymore.  Even --
 they're good or bad, they put
 it on YouTube.
 [ Laughter ]
 I discovered this dancer was
 with us, called (saying
 name), she's from Croatia. 
 And so I saw -- suddenly
 stumbled on her.  And I said,
 oh, she's good.  I know I was
 doing a music video for my
 assistant.  And I asked my
 assistant, Vivian, to call
 her.  And she said, A.R., I'm
 Marilyn Monroe.  She never
 believed that.
 And, of course, I just got
 on YouTube, JANITA, who is
 singing this thing on
 YouTube  .  Many people,
 actually.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  That's
 wonderful.  So you really are
 seeing a lot of people,
 amazing people, express
 themselves through YouTube
 and get discovered in ways
 that have not really happened
 before.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  They don't
 have to count on anybody. 
 They can just do it.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Just do
 it.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  It opens your
 mind, gives a sense of....
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And you
 would consider, for example,
 you know, broadcasting your
 jam sessions just for people
 to get inside, into how you
 think and work?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Just that
 when you expose yourself too
 much, they don't want you.
 [ Laughter ]
 [ Applause
 ]
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  I hear
 that.  I hear that.
 The next question is from
 Halima Zaman, from
 Bangladesh.
 And she says, sometimes a
 person is blessed with lots
 of potential but doesn't have
 support from their family. 
 What advice would you have
 for them to follow and
 fulfill their dream?
 Was your family supportive,
 by the way, when you wanted
 to pursue music?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Yeah.  It was
 opposite.  My mother wanted
 me to do music, and I didn't
 want to do music.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Oh.
 What advice would you have
 for her?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I think she
 should believe and pray, and
 God will send somebody to
 her.
 That's what -- I feel that
 there's always support,
 biggest support.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Right,
 right, right.
This is a good one.
 This is from Prasanna
 Ramachandran on G+.  And he
 says, what's the one thing
 about A.R. Rahman that nobody
 knows yet?
 [ Laughter ]
 This might go back to your
 too much exposure point.
 [ Laughter ]
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I think
 mostly everybody knows
 everything about me.  Maybe
 my --
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Your
 life's an open book.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  My wife
 should say something.
  >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  We have
 a question from YouTube
 now.  This is from Somas
 Thyagaraja.  And he wants to
 know more about the creation
 process.  I think that's the
 thing that we are all
 fascinated by.  How does this
 amazing processor of process of
 such
 beautiful music happen.
 >>> My question for you today
 is I've always been curious
 how you come up with these
 amazing songs one after the
 other for 25 years.  I'm
 curious to hear right from
 the inception of the track
 and the basic tune that you
 have, how do you develop that
 into the final song that we
 all get to hear?  It would be
 great if you can share, you
 know, your experiences from,
 like, a couple of memorable
 tracks of how it came about
 and how you ended up with
 that final magic that we all
 get to hear.  I'm sure
 millions of people in the
 world would love to hear that
 as well.
 Thank you so much.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  No, like an
 artist, who reflects whatever
 is inside on a painting,
 music is also like that.  If
 I am in a Zen mode, if I am
 peaceful, and then the music
 which comes out mirrors it.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  So do
 you have to get angry to --
 >>A.R. Rahman:  No.  I just
 need to put a beat and start
 playing with it.
 Mostly, I don't do stuff like
 that in dark.  I don't know
 why.  The world is, anyway,
 dark.
 So then what I do is, I do a
 lot of ideas, and probably
 two sessions or three
 sessions, have 20 ideas. 
 It's very, very important to
 have a lot of ideas.  And
 then listen to it back and
 compare it to my work and
 compare it to greater works
 which you've heard before,
 where does it stand.  So what
 does it take to make it
 beautiful.
 So if it's very simple as a
 tune, then the arrangement
 actually implements it in
 complements it in a
 different way.  If you have
 both together, you get a
 beautiful lyric.      So
 there are many, many stages
 where you can achieve.  Still
 it's not good, you throw it
 off and do something else.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  How
 often do you end up
 discarding melodies and songs
 which you have created.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  5%. 
 Sometimes we do a song and I
 say, no, I don't like it.  If
 you're trying too hard, I
 don't think it's worth it. 
 It has to come fresh.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Right,
 right.
 What do you see in the future
 for you, next five years? 
 What are things that you
 would like to get done?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  There are
 many things, actually.  After
 starting the school, the
 college, we have amazing
 talent --
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Tell us
 a little bit about this
 college.  I don't think we
 know.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  The college
 started in 2008.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Yep.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  It has a
 conservatory.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  This is
 in Chennai?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  In Chennai.
 The idea was to give the best
 training in classical and
 Hindustani.
 So we have -- we've been
 doing it five years.  We
 opened a campus now two years
 back.  (indiscernible) came
 and opened it up.
 And the main motive is to
 give the kids who want to
 learn music something unique
 which India doesn't give. 
 And to get underprivileged
 kids to -- to make them
 trained in classical. 
 Because for studio musicians,
 studio work, we don't have
 string players or brass
 players or anything.  The
 previous generation is there. 
 But the younger generation
 don't want to learn that.  So
 probably in a few years,
 we'll have an orchestra then.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  So this
 is -- this is, like --
 >>A.R. Rahman:  In fact, we
 have one on YouTube.  It's
 called the sunshine
 orchestra.      You can check
 it out.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Okay.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  It was based
 on that.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  And
 these students go through a
 structured curriculum?  Is --
 so --
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Yes.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  So this
 is not the traditional, like
 the (saying name).
 >>A.R. Rahman:  No.  We have
 teachers from Armenia,
 Scotland, the U.S., U.K., all
 over the place.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Wow.
 And how big is this?  How
 many students are part of the
 school?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  It's -- I
 think we have around 200, 300
 students.  And the campus is
 around 40,000 square feet.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Okay. 
 That's a big campus.  That's
 wonderful.  That's really
 wonderful.
 And --
 >>A.R. Rahman:  So the
 question is because we have
 this access to all these
 beautiful things.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Yeah.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  My -- my part
 would be to write more
 things.  I will probably set
 up musicals, coming from the
 product of the conservatory.
   So India can watch
 something unique coming from
 our culture, yet having the
 sensibilities of whatever any
 of us would like.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  and how
 do you see Indian music
 evolving?  Of course, you are
 in -- you know, you are in
 Chennai, which is also the
 heart of things like CARNATIC
 music, which continues to be
 a very vibrant art form.  How
 do you see Indian music
 itself evolving, again, over
 the next several years?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Things are
 opening up, I think.  You can
 see a lot of innovative
 things starting to come.  I
 think when that goes to the
 next stage, I think I feel
 there will be something in
 it.  Right now, it's still in
 a shell, I feel.  Classical
 music -- it has to be
 protected.  But some people
 can be more liberal and then
 can go and do some wilder
 things without spoiling the
 sanctity of it.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  I think
 you have done an amazing job
 of being innovative, of
 pushing boundaries, of
 blending things in a way that
 all of us have felt reflects
 who we are as people.  I
 think that's part of what is
 amazing about your music.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I get bored.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  What's
 that?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  I get bored
 of the same thing.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  We are
 happy, because your music
 keeps changing.  It keeps
 engaging us.  So I think that
 is wonderful.
 So this is actually a great
 segue to the last part of the
 show.  I am told that you're
 going to do a little
 performance for us.
 [ Cheers and applause
 ]
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Yeah.  If you
 want to hear us all sing, you
 should come to the show.
 [ Laughter ]
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  We'll
 be there.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Okay.  Sure.
 It's -- last night was wild,
 actually.  Very nice people.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Lots of
 audience participation?
 >>A.R. Rahman:  Yeah. 
 Beautiful.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  We look
 forward to that.
 >>A.R. Rahman:  What's this? 
 Oh.
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Please
 give him a big round of
 applause again.
 [ Applause ]
 [ Music ]
 >>A.R. Rahman: 
 (indiscernible) what I am
 doing.
 [ Cheers and applause ]
 [ Music ]
 [ Applause ]
 >>A.R. Rahman:  That's it.
 [ Laughter ]
 Thank you so much.
 [ Applause ]
 >>Sridhar Ramaswamy:  Thank
 you, A.R. for coming.  We are
