Oscar-winning music maestro A.R. Rahman has been honoured by the America Tamil Sangam with its Tamil Ratna Award. Presenting the award after Rahman’s concert at the United Nations General Assembly chamber , Sangam president Prakash Swamy said the double Oscar and double Grammy winner is “an embodiment of peace, humility and charity”.
Swamy said that having Rahman’s concert to honour M.S. Subbulakshi, the doyen of Carnatic music, at the General Assembly – “the venue of peace” – was an historic occasion for global Tamils.
- The concert was sponsored by India’s UN Mission and Sankara Nethralaya, a Chennai-based charity devoted restoring vision through treatment and medical education and research.
- According to the Sangam, previous recipients of its Ratna award include Tamil movie director Bharathi Raja; Bharatha Natyam exponent Kamala Lakshman; Srinivasa Varadhan, the winner of the Abel Prize for mathematics; Connecticut Assemblyman Prasad Srinivasan, and Valavanur Subramaniam, a pioneer in minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
About AR Rahman;
Allah-Rakha Rahman born A. S. Dileep Kumar), is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician and philanthropist.
A. R. Rahman’s works are noted for integrating Eastern classical music with electronic music, world music and traditional orchestral arrangements. Among his awards are two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards South.
