Feted musician and Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman is one of India’s most loved and celebrated artists. He has not only created timeless music but also inspired millions of people with his songs. But not many know that his current name, Allahrakha Rahman, was actually suggested by a Hindu astrologer.Rahman once opened up about how his spiritual journey began after his father’s death, marking a turning point in his life.
Rahman did not connect with the given name
Rahman was named as Dilip Kumar at birth but he never felt fully connected to this name. In a past chat with Dawn, he said, “The truth is I never liked my name. No disrespect to the great actor Dilip Kumar! However, somehow my name didn’t match the image I had of myself.”
Hindu astrologer offered two Muslim name options
The name change happened during a family visit to an astrologer. Rahman explained, “Sometime before we started on our journey on the path of Sufism, we went to an astrologer to show him my younger sister’s horoscope because my mother wanted to get her married. This was around the same time when I was keen to change my name. The astrologer looked at me and said, ‘This chap is very interesting.’”
Rahman immediately chose one suggested name
The astrologer offered two names, Abdul Rahman and Abdul Rahim. Rahman shared, “I instantly loved the name Rahman. It was a Hindu astrologer who gave me my Muslim name. Then my mother had this intuition that I should add Allahrakha [Protected by God], and that’s how I became AR Rahman.”
Close friend witnessed Rahman’s faith transformation
Cinematographer Rajiv Menon, witnessed Rahman’s gradual move towards Islam. Menon also acted as a translator when fakirs from Gulbarga came to Rahman’s house for the ceremony. In an earlier interview with O2 India, he said, “There was a period when they didn’t know Hindi, so I would be the translator. I have seen this period of transition and gravitation towards religion and belief. I have seen Rahman deal with immense pressure from within the family, especially with the marriages of his sisters. It was music that helped him brave the storm.”
Music became his coping mechanism in struggles
Menon added how Rahman’s struggles shaped his music, “He’d say that music helped him forget it. He thought God gave him problems so that he can use music to gain some clarity.” Go to Source
