Comparing all of the current songs with the best of the past is unfair - which conveniently overlooks mediocre numbers from the past to affirm that old is gold. But when it comes to old songs, we are familiar with only those that stood the test of time.
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Today’s listeners have enjoyed (and endured, if you’re not a fan) pretty much everything that A R Rahman has created. (3) We tend to compare the ‘current’ with the ‘best from the past’ - and as a result, the current (music) seems to pale in comparison. This pessimism (that our culture is in decline) is one of the reasons why many of us can’t accept that a contemporary music composer (such as A R Rahman) can be better than someone like R D Burman.
BEYOND PANCHAM UNMIXED MOVIE
Be it the music industry, or movie industry, cultural values, or the overall state of society, we think that things are getting worse. Every generation believes that people are not up to the standards of their parents and grandparents. (1) The veteran artists are often widely respected and revered by our generation as well as our elders that any comparison that do not favor the senior artists is perceived as disrespectful.
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I propose several theories that might explain why: While comparing a contemporary artist - or a piece of art - with a historical one, I think there’s a hidden yet perceptible hesitation to grant more eminence to a contemporary artist than to a veteran. I won’t get into why I think A R Rahman is the greatest, but behind the discussions about the aspects of music (melody, genre, innovation, etc.) I felt that there lies some cognitive biases that affect how we compare the present with the past.
![beyond pancham unmixed beyond pancham unmixed](http://www.panchamonline.com/images/panchamdvdimage.jpg)
(Due to our limited knowledge of Tamil music industry, we kept Illayaraja out of consideration.) For the most part, the debates revolved around two legends: A R Rahman and R D Burman. I had some engaging discussions with friends recently about who the greatest Indian music composer is.