The article which appears below, was originally published on Time of India in February 2009. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.
Ajmer: The city of world fame Khawaja Garib Nawaj Chisti is now the second home for Oscar winner A.R. Rahman.
Rahman has purchased a bungalow in a satellite area of Kundan Nagar last November in the name of his mother. Some people of Kundan Nagar had even spoken to Rahman and his sister on their last visit but they did not know who they were.
But after Rahman’s Oscar triumph now people of the area are happy that their neighbour is an international figure.
“Rahman had come here five months back with two ladies and it was then that we came to know that that he had purchased this bungalow. The bungalow is on the name of his mother, Kareema Begum,” said CD Joshi who will become Rahman’s immediate neighbor. He said, “Rahman along with her mother and sister came here and stayed for long two days. They were busy seeing Ajmer and the house.”
“The lady spoke to me for minutes and it was then that we came to know that some south Indian had come to live here. She was soft spoken and religious that we never expected that she could be the sister of Rahman,” said 60-year-old Sunita Goyal, a resident of Kundan Nagar.
The 16 number bungalow — purchased by Rahman — is triple storied with a big porch and a garden and is situated in the posh area of Kundan Nagar. The house is surrounded by a 10-feet wall and with a big iron gate.
“People living in this locality are those who want peace and remain to themselves. Therefore it is often the case that people do not know who is living three doors away from them,” said Laxmi Devi, who runs a laundry in the area. The area is just five kilometres away from the Dargah.
According to administration sources, registry of the bungalow was done in November in the name of Kareema Begum.
“Rahman frequently visits Ajmer for visiting the Dargah of Kwaja Garib Nawaj. But on his visits he prefers keeping his identity hidden and therefore having a house here best suits his choice,” said Pyare Mohan Tripathi, the district public relation officer.
