Aravind, Thanks a ton for all these interviews and their translations. These weekly translations have one of the best insights into ARR's early life and I have enjoyed reading every bit of it.
Hungry for more .... :-) -A On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 8:22 PM, Aravind AM <aravind...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Hi, > > Here are the links to this week's scans. Scroll down for translation. > > Week 07 Part 01 > > <http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3530274756/>http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3549892425/ > Week 07 Part 02 > http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3549893281/ > <http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3530274752/> > > Week 7 > > > Year 1998. > > Dileep was 21 years old then, and was extremely busy in film music industry > and jingles industry. That was the time when his career was moving in top > gear, with many international tours accompanying famous bands. It was then > that his sister started suffering from severe stomach ache. An unknown fear > engulfed them, for they had witnessed RK Shekar’s suffering and death > because of such stomach aches! > > > > They consulted several doctors, but to no avail! (Some claim that they > would have missed out on consulting the right doctors/hospitals in all their > anxiety!) > > Her condition was worsening each day. > > > > Rahman recollects those moments. “The visions of my dad’s suffering kept > torturing me! We had shifted nine different hospitals, from Vellore CMC to > Vijaya Hospital, Chennai. Many Christian Fathers would come and visit him > and pray for him. Several Hindu priests would also visit him and bless him. > Those didn’t help. Towards the end, some Islam pirs also came… But, dad left > us forever” > > > > Dileep, who had witnessed the cruel last days of his dad, had turned into > an atheist for sometime! If there’s really some God, would my dad have > passed away at such a young age – this was the question that kept haunting > him. When a similar disease attacked his sister, his mind had different > questions, had more confusions. Is this all coincidental or is this a > screenplay written by God or an unknown power, he used to wonder! > > > > Rahman continues, “Some days during my teenage, I believed that there was > no God. I had been affected so much. Though I denied that God existed, I > felt that there was a vacuum. At one stage, I realized that the world can’t > function with out a power controlling us. That was when that disease > attacked my sister. I was shocked. But, someone cured my sister. It was like > a miracle” > > > > What happened? Who was that person? > > > > Sheikh Abdul Qadir Gilani Sahib also known as Pir Qadri. According to > Rahman’s family, Pir Qadri came to see Rahman’s sister when she was ill, and > she was miraculously cured due to his prayers. This sudden turn of events > amazed Dileep. He couldn’t believe it. Dileep considered it as a boon that > was granted by God because of Pir Qadri’s prayers! After this, Pir Qadri > became a family friend, well-wisher and guide. > > > > Fe more things have to be stated at this point. It was the time when Dileep > was putting in all his hard work into music. Dileep was learning everything > from Hindustani, Carnatic to Western Classical! He completed graduation in > western classical from Trinity College, London. His musical skills were > getting sharpened more and more. He didn’t have time to even think about > religion as he was immersed in music. But, he listened to Pir Qadri’s > spiritual discourses from time to time. His most important advice was > “There’s only one God. All prayers to him, cleanses your soul!” > > > > Dileep felt that such thought brought him peace. As days rolled by, Pir > Qadri’s words brought about a quantum change in Dileep’s thoughts about > religion and faith. But, he had not yet thought about the big change – > conversion to Islam. He didn’t have the time for that! > > > > There was another incident, which guided him towards that. Rahman narrates > that incident – “I was in Malaysia for a recording. One day, an old man > appeared in my dream. He asked me to convert to Islam. I didn’t understand > that, and I just left it as just a dream. But, I kept getting the same dream > again and again. I felt it was a divine message. I told my mom about the > dream. She was of the view that a message from God shouldn’t be ignored. > > > > From then on, I went to Mosques along with my mom, and met many Imams. I > got enlightened about religion. Within a few days, all of us in our family > converted to Islam.” > > Pir Qadri was Rahman’s first Islamic Guru. It was Pir Qadri who chose the > spot for construction of Panchathan Studio at Rahman’s house. “Panchathan is > an Islamic term depicting the five individual tasks of each of the five > fingers”, explains Rahman’s mother Kareema Begum. > > > > After the demise of Pir Qadri, Mehboob Alam, Muhammad Yusuf Bhai were > Rahman’s spiritual Gurus. Now, it is Cuddappa Malik. > > > > It was a time when Muslims in the film industry generally used a Hindu or > Christian name as their screen name. But, totally opposite to the general > trend, Rahman shifted from his Hindu name to a Muslim one. Even in the > covers of Roja album, his was supposed to be written as Dileep, but his mom > met Mani Ratnam at the last minute and requested him to change it to a > Muslim name. > > > > That was when Dileep became A.R.Rahman. But, how did that name come about? > > > > After their conversion, when a search for a name was on, an astrologer > suggested the name *Abdul Rahman*. Dileep’s mom who was a staunch believer > of astrology, accepted it and Dileep’s name was changed to Abdul Rahman. > Dileep remained with that name for a few days. Veteran composer Naushad > asked him to change his name slightly to ‘Alla Rakha Rahman.’ > > > > Alla Rakha Rahman means one who has got the blessings of Allah. Before > Rahman, there was another famous musician with the same name – Tabla > exponent Ustad Allah Rakha Khan – father of Tabla exponent Ustad Zakhir > Hussain. > > > > Dileep’s family converting to Islam raised a few eyebrows in the industry. > The mega success of *Roja *silenced everyone. The name A.R.Rahman reached > through out the country at lightning speed! Dileep who became Allah Rakha > Rahman, became a very devout Muslim, with a deep respect for the religion. > > > > “Each of the prayers is like death. I feel as if I pass away during the > prayer, and am born fresh again. My mindy and body becomes totally fresh” , > says Rahman. > > > > Rahman who kept openly saying that God’s blessings and Islam are the main > reasons for his success, was faced with a problem very soon. That was the > accusation that he offered financial help to Islamic terrorists! > > > > (to be continued) > > > > > > Aravind > > ------------------------------ > My Blog: http://arrahmaniac.blogspot.com > Rahmania show interviews: http://rahmania.4shared.com > ------------------------------ > > > ------------------------------ > From Chandigarh to Chennai - find friends all over India. Click > here.<http://in.rd.yahoo.com/tagline_groups_10/*http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups/citygroups/> > > > -- -A http://viewsnmuse.blogspot.com
