Kerala had a big reason to celebrate on Sunday when A R Rahman chose the state to kick off his first Live in Concert, Jai Ho.

After a reception befitting an Oscar award winner by the state government, Rahman -- dressed in blue jeans and a jacket -- sent the crowd in raptures at the Corporation stadium in Kozikhode.

Joining Rahman on stage were Malayali singer Sayanora, Hariharan , Sadhana Sargam, Chithra, Rashid Ali, Javed Ali, Mohammed Aslam and Raja Hassan.

The show started at 8 pm and featured a lot of dance performances as well. Kozhikode, Monday 04 May 2009: Oscar award winner A.R. Rahman was accorded a reception by the State government here on Sunday. Rahman was honoured at a well-attended function, which included three Ministers, at Kadavu Resorts.

The function was conducted a few hours before the maestro’s ‘Live in Concert — Jai Ho’ at the Corporation stadium. Rahman was presented a memento on behalf of the State government jointly by Industries Minister Elamaram Karim, Forest Minister Benoy Viswom and Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran. Kozhikode Mayor M. Bhaskaran also presented a memento to Rahman. “I am happy to be in Kerala and I request the support from all of you for the evening concert,” Rahman, dressed in a blue jeans and white kurta, said in his short speech. Mr. Karim congratulated Rahman on his success at the Oscars on behalf of Kerala and said the State was proud to be the host of his first show after the Oscar triumph. The function was delayed by a couple of hours as Rahman was rehearsing for the show at the Corporation stadium till early on Sunday morning. The gathering patiently waited for him. In the interim, Muhammed Shakeel, a singer and composer, lead a concert of Mohammed Rafi’s immortal songs. Midway through the concert, Rahman arrived to the loud applause of the audience.

First, the lights went on. The sounds boomed soon. Then, he came. And the crowd, nearly 50,000 of them, perhaps, inside the packed Corporation Stadium, got euphoric.

It was a dramatic entry for A.R. Rahman to his ‘Jai Ho’ concert stage, with which he kicked off his world tour following two Oscars. He came on to the stage singing O Saya, his Oscar-nominated song from Slumdog Millionaire. And the composer proved, yet again, that he was no less a singer.

After the song, he said he was pleased to come to Kerala. “I have been wanting to come here for the past 15 years,” he said.

Malayali singer Sayanora joined Rahman to sing Athiradee and both were in top form. Rahman also improvised his song Padakali from the Malayalam film Yodha, which was rendered by Benny Dayal and George Peter.

Before long, two of the finest singers of the night, Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam, came on with that haunting melody from Roja, Kathal rojave (it was, in fact, mixed with the Hindi version, Roja jaaneman). The show went on for another couple of hours, delighting the huge crowd that had been waiting patiently for several hours before it all began shortly before 8 p.m.

The other singers of the night included Chithra, Rashid Ali, Javed Ali, Mohammed Aslam and Raja Hassan. The show featured a lot of dances. Doubts were expressed in certain quarters if the people of Kozhikode would make the show a grand success.

The tickets can also be booked at the Keraleeyam Reception Committee Office near the Indian Coffee House on Mavoor Road in Kozhikode.

Being organized by the NGO Global Kerala Initiative - Keraleeyam, a non-profit social organization, at Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode on May 3 to raise funds for the rehabilitation of AIDS-afflicted children, the mega show will feature over 50 well-known musicians besides Rahman.