[Ch .20] Rahman’s Unstoppable Legacy – Oscars, Sufism, and Beyond

The interview which appears below, was originally published on Vikatan in January 2008. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. English translation credits go to Aravind A.M. from the A.R. Rahman Yahoo Fans Group. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.

Dileep, a boy born in a middle-class slum in Chennai, who started playing the piano at the age of four, became Allah Raqqa Rahman at the age of 25, and after a long journey of 17 years, was waiting on a Sunday evening at the Oscars at the Kodak Theater in America.

The Oscars were announced. Rahman won two prizes. He accepted the gifts with a humble smile as always. But many of the millions of Indians glued to their television sets wept tears of joy at the sight. He is the only Indian to have won two Oscars in the 80-year history of the Oscars Committee.

Rahman’s words on stage when he won the Oscar were: ‘All my life I had a choice between hate and love. I choose love and I am standing here”

The basis of Rahman’s speech is his spiritual philosophy called ‘Sufism’. ‘I believe in only one thing. Music is common to everyone in this world. I have no interest in anything other than that,’ says Rahman. Its meaning is very broad. Sufism is a somewhat enigmatic theological metaphysics of Islam.

Sufism is said to be the path to the personal purification of a man’s heart and through that state attaining the mercy of God. Its followers believe that after accepting a Sufi master, they can live in peace if they follow the religious paths he shows. Rahman is one of them.

The relationship between a Sufi master and their student is similar to that of a teacher and student, but there are no guidebooks or theories. Instead, the idea of “self” is removed through complete surrender to God. Rahman similarly surrendered himself to Sufism and his first guru was Arifullah Muhammad Qadri (Bir Qadri).

Later, his son Karimullah Shah from Andhra Pradesh became Rahman’s Sufi master and he is still Rahman’s guru today. Rahman refers to him as Malik Baba. The music college that Rahman started is called the “K.M. Music Conservatory,” with “K.M.” standing for “Kari Mulla.” Similarly, Rahman’s studio is now called “A.M.” which stands for “Arifullah Muhammad.”

Aamir Khan, who has worked with Rahman on films such as Lagaan and Ghajini, spoke about Rahman’s dedication to Sufism with awe. “It’s a wonderful workout for him. I think that this unique music is born from him because he has completely surrendered to the philosophy he believes in. That philosophy has turned him into a calm person who doesn’t care about anything!” said Aamir Khan.

A grand concert of Rahman’s was organized at Palace Ground in Bengaluru. Suddenly, heavy rain and a hurricane struck, causing flooding on the grounds and collapsing the stage set. The fans were unsure of what to do. Rahman retreated to the green room and closed the door, spending half an hour in silent prayer.

He then emerged and went to the stage, asking the fans if they still wanted the show to go on or if they wanted to cancel it. The fans responded that they wanted the show to continue. With a smile, Rahman performed at the concert. Miraculously, the rain and wind stopped and the concert was able to go on for almost two hours. As Rahman played the final ‘parai’ of the last song, ‘Vande Mataram,’ the rain started again. Rahman remained calm throughout the ordeal, a testament to his personality.

Rahman has performed the Hajj, a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, twice. During one of these pilgrimages, a man selling drinking water on the street shouted “Mayya…Mayya,” which means “water” in Arabic. This inspired Rahman to create the song “Mayya…Mayya” for the Hindi film Guru, with Mariam Dollar, a Canadian singer, as the vocalist.

After the success of Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman’s next major achievement was the film Delhi 6, for which he composed the music. The music for Delhi 6 was highly praised by critics, with some even calling it better than the music for Slumdog Millionaire.

Rahman introduced a number of talented singers in the film, including Ash King. One of Rahman’s greatest songs, “Ariziyan” (also known as “Sufi”), which is nine minutes long, was included in the film. Rahman was working on Delhi 6 when he traveled to Los Angeles for the Oscars.

In addition to his work in music, Rahman is also known for his charitable efforts. He was named World Ambassador of the Immunization Campaign by the World Health Organization (Gibley). He also works with the Save the Children organization. The proceeds from the song “Indian Ocean,” which Rahman composed in collaboration with Fruhholman and Neil Primrose, went to the relief fund for the victims of the tsunami in Indonesia. Rahman also composes and raises funds for The Banyan and the Free Hugs Campaign.

As we conclude this segment, it is worth noting that Rahman’s music continues to reach new heights and achieve new milestones. His talent and dedication to his craft have propelled him to the top of the industry, and his music continues to inspire and captivate listeners around the world.

We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this talented musician.

Until then.