Legendary Oscar winning Indian music composer A.R. Rahman has been awarded with Japan’s Fukuoka prize for 2016. It is reported that Rahman has been conferred with the award for his outstanding contribution towards creating, preserving and showcasing South Asian traditional fusion music.

The Fukuoka Prize is an award established by the city of Fukuoka and the Yokatopia Foundation to honour the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating Asian culture. There are three prize categories: Grand Prize, Academic Prize, and Arts and Culture Prize. Last year, noted Indian Historian Ramchandra Guha was conferred with Fukuoka Prize in academic category.

About Rahman

Rahman was the 1995 recipient of the Mauritius National Award and the Malaysian Award for his contributions to music. A four-time National Film Award winner and recipient of six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, he has fifteen Filmfare Awards in his kity.

In 2009, for his Slumdog Millionaire score, Rahman won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music and two Academy Awards (Best Original Score and Best Original Song, the latter shared with Gulzar) at the 81st Academy Awards.