CHENNAI: Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman's mother, Kareema Begum, died here on Monday, sources close to the family said. Rahman uploaded a picture of his mother on his official Twitter page, without a caption.
Condoling her death, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami posted on Twitter, "Sad to know that Kareema Begum, mother of music great AR Rahman died of illness." DMK President MK Stalin also extended his condolences. "He said she played a "big role" in Rahman's musical journey from Tamil cinema to across the globe," he tweeted.
Composer-singer Salim Merchant said, "Very sorry for your loss AR. We pray that Amma gets Jannat-Ul-firdaus."
"Dear Sir.. deeply saddened by your loss.. may god give you strength. Remembering Amma's wonderful and gentle soul. She will forever remain in our hearts," tweeted singer Harshdeep Kaur."Deeply saddened by this news Rahman sir. She was one of the most gentle affectionate person I have met. Praying for her departed soul," expressed singer Shreya Ghoshal.
"Sending you love and strength @arrahman sir," shared actress Aahana Kumra.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur tweeted, "Your heart is broken, I know. But your mother left you with an inner strength , an inner resilience and belief ..that I have seen and admired for long. Stay strong, my friend."?
Music composers SS Thaman, Devi Sri Prasad and many others also paid tributes to Begum.
Rahman, who started his film music journey with Mani Ratnam's "Roja" (1992) and went on to become a globally acclaimed artiste in the coming decade with an Academy Award, Grammy, BAFTA and Golden Globe wins, has always credited his mother for being a constant support as well as an inspiration throughout his musical journey.
During the 81st Academy Awards ceremony Rahman, after winning the Oscar for his work on "Slumdog Millionaire", paid tribute to his mother. "There is a Hindi dialogue, mere paas ma hai, which means 'I have nothing but I have a mother'. So my mother is here, her blessings are there with me. I'm grateful for her to have come all the way," he had said.
In an interview with PTI in September this year, the music maestro had said that it was his mother's faith in him that pushed him to become the person he is now. "My mother's faith in me...I think that built my character and where I am today, in a way," Rahman had said.
Kareema Begum was the wife of noted Malayalam music composer Rajagopala Kulashekharan aka RK Shekhar, who passed away in 1976. She is survived by her son Rahman and daughters AR Reihana, Ishrath Qadri and Fathima Shekhar.
(With inputs from IANS)