On a song

Time magazine praised him as “Mozart of Madras''. It was a remarkable journey from Chennai to Hollywood for music maestro Allah Rakha Rahman who bagged two Oscars for his score in the movie Slumdog Millionaire.

It was a Jai ho (victory) for the soft-spoken Rahman, who redefined contemporary popular Indian music and has been a role model for millions of Indians.

He has already won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his music for Slumdog Millionaire.

Rahman was born on January 6, 1967 to a family of musicians. His father, R. K. Shekhar was a Chennai-based composer.

Rahman's entry into the Indian film music scene was a refreshing change from the run-of-the-mill renditions, and its made him a star and got him the Best Music Director award at the National Film Awards, the first time ever by a film composer.

Most of Rahman's compositions are inspired by Indian folk music. Mixing traditional Indian tunes with International beats from African drums to electronic funk become a trademark.

The composer is also famous for his fondness for the newest sound technology in the world of music.

In 1999 he performed with Michael Jackson in Munich in the “Michael Jackson and Friends Concert''.

And in 2002, he gave the score for his maiden stage production Bombay Dreams directed by legendary musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Rahman's music was also a hit from London's West End to New York's Broadway. He received an honorary award from Stanford University for his contributions to global music in 2006.

In 2004, with Finnish folk music band Varttina, he composed the music for The Lord of the Rings theatre production.

The music composer is also involved with charitable causes and has conducted concerts to raise funds for cancer patients.

In 2004, Rahman was appointed as the global ambassador of the Stop TB partnership, a project of the World Health Organisation.