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Jai ho, say Indians in Gulf
Indians in the Gulf sent out SMSes, made calls and posted messages on their Facebook pages to celebrate the victory of three countrymen including Rehman in the Oscars.
Indians in the Gulf sent out SMSes, made calls and posted messages on their Facebook pages to celebrate the victory of three countrymen including Rehman in the Oscars on Monday.
AR Rahman become the first Indian to win two Oscars, Original Score (individual) and Original Song, shared with Gulzar, sound engineer Resul Pookutty also got one, for the Mumbai based movie "Slumdog Millionaire", which swept the Oscars with an eight award haul.
Sheela Jeevan, an architect based in Dubai, said she woke up early in the morning to catch up with the action. "It was exhilarating indeed. We all know Rahman is a genius and was expected to win but what made the morning greater was the achievement of Resul Pookutty.
"Technicians in Bollywood are not always at the forefront and this achievement will certainly go a long way in changing that, she added.
The icing on the cake is the win of "Smile Pinki", the tale of a Uttar Pradesh girl and her fight against the social stigma of a cleft-lip, won the Oscar award for Best Documentary (Short) felt the expatriates.
"I had to leave for work in the morning and missed some action but Bushra (wife) was keeping me updated. I caught up with the rest of the results on FM radio. It is a great achievement, made more special by the success of Smiling Pinki in the documentary section," Hassan an environment specialist said.
"If I was there I would have gone to the Rahman household and burst crackers to express my joy. But wherever we are we are as much part of this celebration," Doha-based accountant from Chennai Gopal Asokan said.
Devendra Chatterjee, a travel agent based in Abu Dhabi, said it may have taken a while for the world to recognize Rahman but his genius was never in doubt. "How else would you describe someone who has been giving us great music for years."
