On September 12, the pianist who plays in the lobby of Delhi’s Le Meridien hotel was told by the management that a special guest who enjoys Hindi songs – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – might stop by. Ibrahim was in the Capital for the BRICS summit and the heads up gave 45-year-old Mujeeb ur Rehman just enough time to prepare for the Malaysian PM’s favourite Hindi songs.
To carry forward the legacy, Rehman said that his 10-year-old son has also picked up the piano. “He smiled, walked towards me, and started singing. He then requested the other song, Khwab ho tum ya koi haqeeqat and that’s the video that has gone viral. “Once Rahul Gandhi was at Kwality with his sister and requested Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisar for her. Priyanka Gandhi also likes Raj Kapoor’s songs. “I grew up surrounded by musicians. My father was a singer and played the dilruba, a bowed sitar-like instrument, so did my maternal grandfather, who was also his ustad.
It was a wonderful experience meeting him, playing with him,” said Rehman as he recalled the moment. “After that video, people have started recognising me,” said Rehman on Monday. I once played Jagjit Singh’s ghazals when he was sitting in the lobby at The Ashok Hotel…This is a job and I look at it like that but sometimes, I also meet patrons, who appreciate me, give me feedback, and I go back home satisfied,” Rehman said. My father’s younger brother played the sitar, and so did my elder brother,” the pianist said. “Music is in our blood,” he said.
