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All my life I’ve had a choice between hate and love. I chose love, and I’m here.
The Academy Awards, 2009
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Trusting in God never makes the mountain smaller, it just makes the climbing easier. I never ask Him for a lighter load, but only for a stronger back.
Citation pending.
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I like music that is able to stir my soul. My music is a spiritual exercise.
The Hindu. Dec. 25, 2004
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The search is more important than the destination.
Bollyvista.com Interview by Jyothi Venkatesh, 2004
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In my case, dust has become gold. Today, I work with people I grew up admiring. But, internally, I am the same person I always was. Ever since I embraced Sufism, I have learnt to separate myself from my desires and my success. Now, I can distance myself from all the adulation showered on me.
In Tune With Life: Times of India, Sept. 2002
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You can’t have everything in life. What one thinks is possible might not always be so. I try to do my best but, finally, everything lies in God’s hands. I consider my skills as a musician to be a blessing from God. Even today, before I perform, I am unsure of whether I will be able to move my audience. I leave everything to Him… He pulls the strings in my life.
In Tune With Life: Times of India, Sept. 2002
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When asked how he converted to Sufism:
My father went through a lot of health problems. He was sick, my childhood was a disaster. I spent most of my childhood in hospitals. There came a stage when the family was almost down. We met a pir sahab (Saint) at that time. It is inexplicable. It just happened. My idea of God coincided with all this. I thought, ‘Okay, this was something that was bound to happen.
God and religion are very personal. The mosque or temple should be within oneself. But now it has become politics. I don’t think I want to talk any more about it.
The Week, April 2000
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Any great love song, when attributed to a divine source, gets an extra dimension. People say any love which is immortal is divine love.
Rediff, March 2000
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My father too was a composer. He died at the threshold of success. He passed away the same day his first film as a composer was released. I was nine then, and his only son. I started working (in music) at the age of 11.
Zee Premiere, 2000
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I am like a boat without an oar. I let life take its own course.
I know only my work and God. I pray a lot. You get dejected if you plan something and it does not happen.
Kumudam, Nov. 1999
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When asked how it felt winning the National Award for Roja: “I don’t have time to cherish the joys and repent the failures in life. I go on with my work not caring about the response I’ve got for my previous works.
Asianet Interview, June 23, 1999
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Who do you consider your closest rival?: “The man who is inside me and constantly trying to distract me from doing good work.
Filmfare, 1996
