I❤️ARR

This is a blogpost that was imminent after yesterday’s Spotify’s Creators Meet up.

It has been a while since my last blogpost. I just couldn’t resist writing one after the Spotify meet up.

Thank you to all the fans who have been supporting my journey by consuming the Podcast

Firstly, I would like to say Thank you to all the fans who have been supporting my journey by consuming the Podcast (across all the streams, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc)

As of 3rd March, I have just completed 3 years in this journey. It’s been a phenomenal journey.

I had never imagined that I would be a Podcaster

I had never imagined that I would be a Podcaster. I can still remember that introverted dude who would usually not show up for the social catch ups in the past (other priorities and .. let me just admit it, introverted yes!), leave alone being a Podcaster, I would have never called even a complete stranger on the phone.

3 years later, 145 celebrity guests on the Podcast

Now as I write this blogpost, 3 years later, 145 celebrity guests on the Podcast with the likes of Shreya Ghoshal, Amit Trivedi, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan and above all A.R.Rahman Sir. The journey sometimes feels like it was meant to happen and someone had to just do it. I was probably the chosen one for it. 

within a minute after the idea of the Podcast came up in my mind

When I look back 3 years ago, I still remember making my way to the electronics store here in Melbourne within a minute after the idea of the Podcast came up in my mind, researching on “How to start a Podcast and what gadgets do I need to start one” whilst being at the store, back home after a bill of a few hundred dollars worth gadgets. Next thing was to jump on YouTube to set up all the gadgets / softwares. Few hours later, call some of my musician friends to pitch the idea of the Podcast and jumping on to record my first ever Podcast on the very same day.

Who would have thought that I would be a Podcaster ? Man! What a journey.

Every single step has been a learning experience, right from learning how to record a Podcast, co-ordinating scheduling with the guests, recording the Podcasts, Post Production and also managing the community. All this whilst doing a full time day job. It has been a very fulfilling experience. A journey of my life time which I would cherish forever.

Couple of weeks ago, I saw the invite pop up from Spotify saying “You have been invited for the creators meet up in Melbourne”, I was pleasantly surprised to see that invite. This was like a little validation to say that “Hey! I have actually been recognised as a Podcaster”

The event was scheduled on the 23rd March (yesterday – as I am writing this blogpost the very next day :))

I was a bit apprehensive / nervous & excited when I showed up at the meet up. The kind of thoughts that were running in my mind were like “I might just be a minuscule Podcaster compared to others, The intent and objective of my Podcast journey would be completely different to others, how do I even explain to them etc.”

The panel Q & A with Toni & Ryan hosted by Priti was amazing. As Ryan described his Podcasting journey, It completely resonated with me, especially the part where is spoke about juggling between a full time job, recording the Podcasts by the night and editing them over the weekends. Funny enough, I have been doing this for 3 years now single handedly, no team to support, no monetisation (hasn’t even be switched on), but the best part is that it’s a fulfilling experience. And more than anything else the legend himself A.R.Rahman Sir closely watches this journey and is proud of it. This is nothing short of living the dream.

The Spotify meet up boosted up my confidence even more, and the interactions with the Spotify Team was quite valuable.

Some of the points that I would like to share from my journey that would hopefully benefit others are: 

  – Just do it. The key is the first step. I was the gadget store a minute after the idea popped up in my head 3 years ago.

  – Be ready to be vulnerable. You are going to be in the spotlight whether you like it or not.

  – Find your passion. Go deeper with no expectations (whatsoever). The results will be very fulfilling.

  – Be ready to learn. Be ready to be receptive of constructive feedback. Do ask for feedback from your friends, family etc. And most importantly seek feedback from yourself, would you listen to the Podcast yourself, is it engaging, does it make you smile, what can you improve etc.

  – Don’t look at the numbers / analytics and get bogged down. For me personally, it doesn’t bother be one bit. I don’t earn a single $ out of the Podcasts, although I have had a few offers from some of the brands / media companies in the past, I have declined them all. I have been rock solid about the intent of my journey which is to celebrate ARR Sir’s music, capture memories (in the form of podcasts), & let the generations to come cherish these treasured memories. This actually makes the whole experience very fulfilling as I haven’t got any expectations set. However, one thing that I would love to see is the listenership  / broaden the viewers so that more and more fans are able to cherish these memories (podcasts).

 – Do the podcast for yourself, not to please others. This will give you immense happiness in doing something that makes you happy and the magical energy will only exude as you keep doing it. 

I ♥️ ARR has been the most amazing journey of my life

I ♥️ ARR has been the most amazing journey of my life. The last 3 years (and the years to come) that I have been on it has been magical. It brings a huge smile when I hit the upload button on Spotify / Youtube , it does also make me nervous every single time as I upload (although I have had 145 guests), & I love the happiness it brings to A.R.Rahman Sir’s fans. 

I have quite a long way to go in this journey, even after 145 guests, I feel like I have just scratched the surface, I have to go deeper. I have quite a long list of guests who are lined up. It so amazing to see the number of lives A.R.Rahman Sir’s music has touched and the 100s of musicians’ lives he has changed forever with his collaborations.

Thank you 🙂

stay hungry, stay foolish

Links below if you haven’t subscribed yet.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ilovearr  

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03DSLV6KRWbI5uMwZleNIh 

Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/i-love-arr-the-a-r-rahman-podcast/id1515825022 

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7f25ae22-5df2-434e-bba1-9e2bf8ecef4e/i-love-arr-the-a-r-rahman-podcast