Though they waited with eagerness, students of PSG Sarvajana Higher Secondary School did not get an opportunity to sing ‘Jana Gana Mana’ with A.R. Rahman. When the maestro arrived the sun had already set. But he did sing a few lines of the Vande Mataram with the students here on Friday.

Rahman is in town for ‘Nenje Ezhu’, a live-in concert on January 23. He had wanted to visit the school and sing ‘Jana Gana Mana’ with the students after hearing that Tagore had sung the song in 1926. Word had spread about his visit and a huge crowd had gathered to see and hear him.

Rahman, taken aback by the crowd, hesitated as he got down from the car. Somehow he managed to reach the stage and waved to the crowd with a smile.

The crowd responded with a loud cheer to Rahman’s greeting of “Ella Pugazhum Iraivanukae” (All Praise to God). He followed it with a “How are you Coimbatore ?” and sang the last few lines of Vande Mataram and hummed the tune.

Volunteers and security personnel became part of the crowd and got absorbed in the euphoria of Rahman.

Sitting down to sign the visitor’s book at the school, Rahman told the Covai Post that he was overwhelmed by the support shown by the people in the school. “The love and support shown by the students in PSG School is really amazing. Coimbatore is a good place and so are the people,” he said.

Commenting on the concert, Rahman said that after touring so many countries around the globe, he felt like touring the state of Tamil Nadu and the concert was a starting point to the tour. “I would like to visit more places in Tamil Nadu in the future,” he said.

R. Nandagopal, Director of PSG Institute of Management, said that Rahman was happy to hear and read about the visit of various dignitaries to the school over the 90-year period, as recorded in the visitors’ book.

Even though it was a short visit, it left a lasting impression among many who had gathered there to see him. R. Prem Kumar who had managed to shake hands with his hero said that he was completely speechless after seeing him up close. “I feel like I had seen God and was transported to a new world for a couple of hours after I shook hands with him,” he said.

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