My first recording

Standing with a microphone ,adorning a head set over one;s ears in a recording theatre would be a vision for many aspiring play back singers.Beyond the benefit of doubt, I was also one and my reverie did come true one day.It was at Prasad Studio,Chennai.The movie was Mercury pookkal and 'THE PERSON' who decided to put my voice to trial was Karthik Raja son of Maestro Ilaiyaraja.He had actually seen me perform during a cultural programme and offerred me a chance.
This was 'the moment' I was dreaming for ever since I was a child and eversince the time I discovered my talent and aptitude in music.However,I lost all my confidence on entering the studio and decided maybe I should back off and call off the whole thing .This was because 'Mr Virus' had recently carved a niche in my throat and my voice was not at its best.I felt like I was about to have a nervous breakdown and the last thing I wanted to do was display my talent as a singer.I felt too stupid to ask him for extra time till my voice was at its best and I decided to give it a shot.
Since,I had never been to a recording studio earlier the presence of the entire crew comprising of the director as well made me feel all the more stupid.I was asked to wait for more than an hour to meet Karthik sir and he handed over me the lyrics and asked me to listen to the song first.The tune was beautiful and I really really wished I could prove my best.But my voice simply wouldn't give way.
One good thing that happened was, Karthik sir had to go out urgently and left me alone with the sound engineer stating that he would return soon.So we began at 1:00PM in the afternoon.My voice wouldn;t co-operate.I could not give the neccessary feel and depth required.I made a hell lot of mistakes and felt like throwing away everything and running off from the whole thing.ALAS! I did complete the whole thing by 4:00PM after drinking litres of hot water.Yes it was over because of the sound engineer who had the patience of a saint.The output was good but not the best.
Karthik Sir did give me call after listening to it.He said the voice sounded good but was lacking in energy and said he wanted to record it once more in his presence.Somehow, he never ended up calling me later on and I was too ashamed to ask him once again because he had given me a chance but I blew it.I couldn;t bring up the courage to ask for a chance once again.
From then till now,I haven;t dared to step into a studio again.Till date I really wished I had asked for a day or two extra and gone for the recording when my voice was as good as ever.

Civil Services Preparation, a Mind Game!

If you are preparing for Civil Services Examination, you should have three essential qualities:

1. A strong belief in your capabilities - "I Can" attitude
2. No fear to face failures and humiliations
3. Willingness to work very hard

If you lack any of these, it will be a problem. Civil Services Preparation is a mind game - the ones who are mentally very strong, win ultimately. Intelligence and other qualities are only secondary. A hard working individual, having strong belief in his/her capabilities will surely win the race pushing back an intelligent but not-so-hardworking person.

During the preparation stage, there are quite a lot of distractions that could carry you away from your cherished goal. Mentally you must be very strong and stay focused on your goal.

The examination process is quite long; many things will happen in your family or surroundings letting your morale down. But, mentally you must remain very strong to tide over that.

Even casual comments by friends or relatives could mar your self-confidence. You must remain strong.

Since the UPSC is not revealing the cut-off marks, scaling criteria and other vital details, aspirants are not able to gauge their performance. Lot of stories doing the rounds in friends circle could dislodge your confidence. But, you must be mentally strong to overcome such negative propaganda.

So, here comes my third point on the list of DONTs:

Never let your confidence level go down. Develop highest level of mental strength and remain focused. Remember, no can make you feel let down without your mind's cooperation.