CHENNAI: Winning an Oscar is bringing new experiences even in his own city for A.R. Rahman.
“I have been passing this place for ages, but I’ve never been inside,” he said, looking around the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan where Governor Surjit Singh Barnala hosted a tea in his honour on Sunday. He regularly visits the dargah in the Raj Bhavan grounds, but has now been given a “free pass” to come and go as he likes. “That’s a big gift for me,” said the man who has been showered with gifts over the past week. Mr. Rahman, who was accompanied by his mother Kareena Begum, regaled the guests with a few chords of his award-winning song ‘Jai Ho’ on the Governor’s special request. “We are proud of him. We were waiting for this award, in fact, we were praying for it, and now he has got it,” said the Governor. Other guests who congratulated Mr. Rahman included former Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra Governor P.C. Alexander and former Orissa Governor M.M. Rajendran.. http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/02/stories/2009030257340200.htm
