Canada has named a street in Markham after Indian maestro AR Rahman.
Sharing the development on Monday, Rahman thanked Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and people of Canada. “I never imagined this in my life. I am very grateful to all of you, the Mayor of Markham, Cananda (Frank Scarpitti), and counsellors, Indian Consulate General (Apoorva Srivastava) and the people of Canada. The name A.R. Rahman is not mine. It means merciful. The merciful is the quality of the common God we all have and one can only be the servant of merciful. So, let that name bring peace, prosperity, happiness and health to all people living in Canada. God bless you all,” he wrote in a tweet.
Honoured and grateful for this recognition from @cityofmarkham and @frankscarpitti and the people of Canada 🇨🇦 🇮🇳 #arrahmanstreet #markham #canada #infinitelovearr #celebratingdiversity pic.twitter.com/rp9Df42CBi
— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) August 29, 2022
“I want to thank my brothers and sisters of India for all the love. All the creative people who worked with me, gave me the inspiration to rise up and celebrate hundred years of cinema; with all the legends included. I am a very small drop in the ocean. I feel like this gives me immense responsibility to do much more and be inspiring; not to get tired and not to retire…yet. Even if I get tired I will remember that I have more things to do, more people to connect, more bridges to cross,” he added.
The 55-year-old musician has been honoured with many international awards including Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe. He was also awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in 2010.
