When A. R. Rahman recalled the darkest phase of his life after losing his father at age of 9

A. R. Rahman, the Oscar-winning composer, lost his father, R.K. Shekhar, when he was just nine years old. Shekhar was a well-known musician and music conductor who collaborated with some of the leading composers in South Indian cinema. Although he passed away in the prime of his life, the goodwill and legacy he left behind became a crucial stepping stone for Rahman during the early stages of his music career.

A. R. Rahman recalled that witnessing his father's illness was the darkest period of his life. He shared in an interview with O2India, “My childhood was not a normal one. I was a bit secluded. I mainly lived in hospitals with my father getting treatment. And at the age of 11 or 12, I started working. I didn’t have the privilege of going out or playing sports. But, I had personal time, which I spent mostly with music. Which in a way was a blessing.”

The singer mentioned that he tries to avoid revisiting the memories from his father's illness. He recounted a day when he was abruptly pulled out of class and told to return home immediately. His father suffered for about four years before passing away in 1976, when Rahman was in the 4th standard. He recalled, "I can still remember me cremating him. Setting him on fire. I was as young as nine. And that’s one imagery in my life that never goes off. That memory still haunts me. But, it makes me understand life better because it all happened at very early stages of my life. It has given me something a normal kid could never have had."

After the passing of his father, Rahman took on the responsibility of supporting his family at a young age. He had to leave school to work full-time for his family of five. Initially, he began by renting out his father's music equipment, and with the help of his father's long-time collaborator, the late composer M. K. Arjunan, he started his music career. Rahman earned just Rs 50 for his first salary, working as a session musician and keyboard player. Gradually, he progressed to composing jingles for television advertisements before landing his first feature film assignment with 'Roja'.