Outwardly,
hours
before
the
Times
Of
India
Changing
Notes
concert
for
the
launch
of
the
Times
Of
India
in
Chennai,
the
musical
maverick
A
R
Rahman
is
calm.
Being
imperturbable
is
second
nature
to
Rahman.
But
every
concert
even
today
is
a
challenge
and
an
occasion
for
serious
soul
searching
for
the
41-year
old
maestro
who
has
re-written
every
rule
of
film
composition
since
Roja.
"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,
Rahimaand
Amin.
My
studio
in
Chennai
is
bang
opposite
my
house,
so
they
spend
a
lot
of
time
with
me.
All
they've
to
do
is
cross
the
road
and
they're
with
me," Rahman
says.
About
the
fabulous
evening
on
Sunday
when
he
regaled
audiences
with
a
roomy
retrospective
of
his
filmic
repertoire
Rahman
said,
"Basically,
we
chose
to
perform
my
film
songs.
That
seemed
to
be
the
need
of
the
hour.
It
was
a
rather
special
occasion
since
the
Times
Of
India
was
launching
its
Chennai
edition.
Besides
me,
there
was
my
full
orchestra,
plus
singers
like
Chitra."
Some
hours
before
the
show
Rahman
said
from
Chennai,
"There's
of
course
the
usual
chaos
before
a
concert
over
here.
So
I
can't
speak
at
length
with
you
right
now.
I
love
performing
in
Chennai.
That's
where
my
roots
are."
Story first published: Friday, August 26, 2011, 10:37 [IST]