‘It’s Important My Kids See Their Father Regularly’

‘It
is
a
blessing
to
work
at
home.
My
family
is
always
around
me.’
‘I
think
that’s
what
keeps
me
creatively
charged.’

Ever
since

A
R
Rahman
and
his
wife
Saira
Banu
announced
their
separation
on
social
media,
his
past
interviews
have
been
coming
back
to
the
forefront,
where
people
try
to
look
for
signs
of
marital
turmoil.

In
2007,
when
Rahman
turned
40,
he
spoke
at
length
about
his
three
young
children
but
kept
his
wife
out
of
the
conversation.

“A
year
back,
I
didn’t
allow
my
kids
to
be
anywhere
near
me.
Now,
they’re
all
over
the
place
while
I
compose,”
Rahman
told

Subhash
K
Jha
17
years
ago.

Will
Chennai
always
be
your
home?

You
never
know.
I’m
trying
to
cut
down
drastically
on
my
travelling.

Though
it
was
a
learning
experience,
I
need
to
be
at
home
more
now.

The
kids
are
growing
up.
I
need
to
be
with
the
family
more
often.

A
year
back,
I
didn’t
allow
my
kids
to
be
anywhere
near
me.

Now,
they’re
all
over
the
place
while
I
compose.

I
think
it’s
very
important
for
them
to
absorb
the
ambience.

Are
your
children
musically
inclined?

They
have
just
started
learning
classical
music
from
Ghulam
Mustafa
Khansaab.

Just
last
week,
he
came
and
took
over
their
training.

My
son
is
going
to
be
four
on
the
same
day
as
me;
we
share
the
same
birthday.

So
are
you
entering
a
new
phase
in
your
life?

So
far,
I’ve
just
been
busy
living
life.

From
my
childhood,
I
was
surrounded
by
grownups,
I
never
got
a
chance
to
enjoy
being
a
child.

It
took
me
a
while
to
realise
how
young
I
was.

By
the
time
I
realised
I
was
missing
out
on
youthful
activities,
I
was
no
longer
young.

Now
I’m
re-living
my
childhood
with
my
children.

If
I’m
able
to
give
them
everything
that
I
couldn’t
afford,
they
are
giving
me
back
something
vital.

What
sense
do
you
make
of
the
40
years
of
your
life?

My
life
has
always
been
a
journey.

When
I
was
in
my
20s,
I
went
through
the
most
turbulent
and
hectic
time
of
my
life.

Now
I
spend
as
much
time
as
possible
with
my
children
Khatija,
Raheema
and
Ameen.

My
studio
in
Chennai
is
bang
opposite
my
house,
so
they
spend
a
lot
of
time
with
me.

All
they
have
to
do
is
cross
the
road
and
they’re
with
me.

So
time
management
is
a
problem?

You
have
to
prioritise
your
time
and
do
what
you
must.

For
example,
I
know
I
have
to
be
away
for
five
months
this
year.
So
it
would
be
foolish
of
me
to
commit
myself
to
anything
until
I
finish
my
concerts.

It
is
a
blessing
to
work
at
home.
My
family
is
always
around
me.

I
think
that’s
what
keeps
me
creatively
charged.

When
I
travel,
I
crave
to
return.

My
kids
are
growing
up.

It’s
important
they
see
their
father
regularly
or
they’ll
start
calling
me
uncle!

I
am
missing
out
on
my
children
growing
up.

Sometimes,
I
do
take
my
children
abroad
with
me
when
they
have
school
vacations.

But
they
can’t
accompany
me
everywhere.

It’s
not
possible
to
wrench
them
away
from
their
lives
and
ask
them
to
join
me
wherever
I
am.

Photographs
curated
by
Satish
Bodas/Rediff.com