One evening in 1988, when the young A.R Rahman listened to his first qawwali from his Peer Sahib (Syed Karimullah Shah Qadri), his experience, as he described, was something “unexplainable in science”. He was happy that he found that moment of connection when he was with his mother. “He was not a good singer but when he used to sing ‘Khwaja’ with his harmonium, one could feel the butterfly and a sweet smell around the place,” recalled Rahman at a press conference in Delhi. He was in the Capital to announce the Sufi Route concert to be held in November at Qutub Minar, which will have Sufi artistes such as Nooran sisters, Mukhtiar Ali, Hans Raj Hans, Konya Turkish Music Ensemble, Dhruv Sangari and Dervish dancers. The finale of the show will be headlined by Rahman.
Years later during the shoot of Roja , he heard Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. “Why cannot I sing like him or make music like that,” Rahman asked to himself. “As a devotee myself, Sufi music is something that I cherish very closely. Whether singing or rehearsing, everything is part of ibadat for me,” he said. Years later, when Khalid Mohammed asked him to do a qawwali for Fiza , he felt blessed to do something which he cherished. “Many people have told me that the qawwali (’Piya Haji Ali’) actually protected them from accidents. It gave me the opportunity to do Khwaja Sahab (’Khwaja Mere Khwaja’) later, a composition that is loved by all people regardless of communities, which is my biggest achievement till date as it came with blessings from Khwaja Sahab,” said Rahman.
Source of goodness
He described himself as a student, who goes teacher to teacher in search of Shariat, Tarikat, Marfat, Haqiqat but did not know which stage he was at right now. “I am fascinated by the process of getting there. For more than 30 years, the spirituality and the love which Sufi gave, grew in me. It is the reason of the little goodness that I have now,” reflected Rahman.
Like a lush meadow, the landscape of Sufi has increased manifold because of the rise in the number of alternative music platforms. Historically, Sufi musicians have not been accepted by a section of society but Rahman typifies the new practitioners as the flag bearer of change, who are connecting people by speaking to their heart. “Social acceptance comes when people start accepting the truth; there is always a denial but heart cannot lie,” explained the Oscar winning composer.
He does not like to be called as an ambassador of Sufi but said, “My music speaks of it itself and does not need any medium. Music is like a seed — you cannot see it until it grows and goes into your heart.”
His internal connect, Rahman said, is actually much stronger than his words as he continued describing himself a lay person. “I am not an intellectual; my answers are much simpler.” Despite achieving the highest in the music world, he did not regard himself as someone on the top of his game. “Am I?” he asked. “I do not know. After a point of time, it does not matter if that keeps me alive. I have been discovering myself for 30-40 years now. I just go sit at the Nizamuddin Dargah for hours in midnight as a beggar in front of a very rich person. Sufism teaches you to be fakir,” observed Rahman.
Distinct character
His vision reflects in his process, that having a distinct character in music is an achievement, it is almost a blessing as he said, “You cannot be like everyone. The first listener is always me and if I find it boring, I change it and that has been my formula from day one.”
On the experiences of directing a movie, Rahman said, “Music is much simpler than filmmaking. You have so many departments and you have to respect everybody's timings, whether it is graphics or putting up a set. I have just directed one virtual reality movie and I do not think I will do another one.”
He underlined that his understanding of Sufi was destroying every kind of ego and generating an idea that happiness was the true measure of wealth. “Spirituality is not just singing bhajans or qawwalis, but love and actions.” He tries to be relevant while remaining intact to his roots. “When I sit as an idiot with my piano, I try to make something genuinely useful or something which connects. I try to source inspiration from the infinite,” concluded Rahman.
