A.R.Rahman A small serene smile lurking on the face of an angel. Twinkling eyes as soulful as ever. His hands move over a synthesizer, and music produced puts you into such a peaceful trance, that his music can be only compared to magic. I’m talking about our very own A.R. Rahman. Aptly named the “Mozart of Madras”, Rahman is world renowned for his enchanting music. Rahman put Indian music on the world map with the success of his music composition for Slumdog Millionaire, for which he even won at the Oscars. Born as A.S. Dileep Kumar, in Chennai, this 44 year old composer converted to Islam at the age of 23, and changed his name to Rahman. (The reason for his convergence was that at one time, when his sister had fallen severely ill, the family had prayed at a mosque, on the advice of some family friends, and vowed convergence to Islam if she recovered.) Rahman, who belongs to a musical family background, (his father being a composer and conductor for Malayalam films) started his musical career when he joined a musical troupe “Ilaiyaraaja: at the mere age of 11, as a keyboardist. Accomplished in playing the keyboard, piano, synthesizer, harmonium and guitar, Rahman earned a scholarship to the Trinity College of Music where he graduated with a degree in Western Classical Music. His music is a blend of various styles: Pop, Carnatic, Sufi, Techno, Classical- all fused to give our ears a soothing symphony. It is his harmonious music which has earned him various awards and accolades. He is the proud recipient of 14 Filmfare Awards, 4 National Film Awards, a BAFTA award, a Golden Globe, 2 Grammy Awards and 2 Academy Awards.
A Rotaract Club of H.R. College and Cairo Royal Publication