AR Rahman has been named Indian of the Year by CNN-IBN and will receive the award at the Hotel Taj Palace on Dec 21st. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be in attendance. “Rahman has redefined contemporary Indian music and is the pride of the entire nation,” said a spokesman for the company, “He is also an idol to millions for making a mark on the global music arena.”
The maestro, who has over 300 million sales worldwide, has set up a Foundation to provide education to underprivileged children. “At the Foundation, we know that there is no better investment than that in the education of children,” said a source.
Rahman has a busy month ahead of him. He will be performing live in Doha at the Aspire Dome on January 8th and he will follow this with an appearance at Parramatta Park in Sydney on January 16th as part of the Sydney Festival and then it’s back to the Middle East – to Oman – on January 21st to the Police Stadium Muscat. The Sydney concert will be free and the Mozart of Madras has been applauded by Oz film director Baz Luhrman, a fan. “Whatever the style, A.R. Rahman’s music always possesses a profound sense of humanity and spirit,” he said.
