Everytime the maestro plans a concert, this group of boys — and a handful of girls too — converge at the host city. While this may sound like a regular fan club, the members insist that it isn’t. “We are almost like an official fan club. That Rahman recognises most of us adds credibility to our group,” says 22-year-old Nazeef Mohammed from Bangalore. But it took nearly a decade to attain this status.

“In the mid-1990s, soon after Roja, I became a huge fan of Rahman. The Internet wasn’t as popular and information on him was scarce. At that time, I would read up everything possible on him — I used to think I’m his biggest fan,” confesses Gopal Shrinivasan, a Hyderabad-based financial consultant. “But as the network opened up, I realised there are many like me out there.” On January 1, 1999, Shrinivasan started a group fan club online with just a handful of members. But over time, it gained popularity to log in thousands of registered members.

Though active online, the group didn’t witness any activity of consequence till 2005. “Rahman had announced his Bengaluru concert and we all knew we had to be a part of this somehow,” recounts Shrinivasan, who is also the group moderator. “About 20 of us converged from all over the country and for four days we did voluntary work for the organisers. That’s when we all really bonded for the first time.” Ever since, the group has been hosting regular meets in Mumbai. “We try to meet once a month to jam and enjoy Rahman’s music at my place in Andheri,” adds Swapnil Mistry, a professional singer.

What’s surprising is that the group - though a melting pot of cultures - uses Tamil as their first language. “Many of us have learnt how to read, write and talk in Tamil because of Rahman’s music,” confesses Anand Swamy from Mumbai, as he begins to narrate their group member Amit Deshpande’s (popular as Amit Chandran in the group) story. “Amit is a Maharashtrian from Nashik. Every time he’d buy Laxmi bombs, which are made in the South from the local newspapers, he wouldn’t burst the crackers. Instead, he’d soak them in water, open up the rolls and dry them to read and understand the language,” laughs Swamy, who has a story of his own too. “Every time I attend Rahman’s concert, I shave my head,” the 29-year-old grins sheepishly.

It’s easy to believe that as the moderator of the group, Shrinivasan is probably the most level-headed till the group spills the beans on him. “Gopal buys a copy of every cassette and CD with A R Rahman written on it. He has eight CDs of Bombay just because the album was launched with different jacket covers,” laughs Mistry.

Their stories are endless and their passion for the maestro’s music evokes respect. In fact, we are told, very often, it isn’t even about his music. “It began with his music but now I admire him for the human being he is. Everytime we ask him what he wants for his birthday, he says we should help the needy on that day,” admits 31-year-old Vithur, who distributes food to the poor every Sunday in Chennai on behalf of the group.