Legendary Tamil Poet and lyricist Piraisoodan sharing an incident of his meeting with AR Rahman and his mother... AR Rahman told Piraisoodan that he loves his work, reminded him of their past collabs and wanted to work with him again. Rahman invited him to his house to discuss some ideas for a new song. Piraisoodan reached Rahman’s house but his mother refused to grant him entry to the house. She asked him to remove the Vibuthi and Kumkum Tilak from his forehead and only then she would allow him to enter the house. Piraisoodan refused to remove the Tilak and AR Rahman watched all this and didn't say anything. Imagine asking someone to come to your house and then insulting him for his identity. AR Rahman's mother used to be a Hindu. Her name was Kasturi Shekhar. She converted and became Kareema Beegum. AR Rahman's original name was Dileep Kumar. They not only left the Hindu fold but also forgot the etiquettes and culture of "Atithi Devo Bhava". This is exactly why religion is important. Religion plays an important role in shaping our culture. Once you abandon your religion, culture will also get replaced with time.