A R Rahman to receive Lakshminarayana International Award

Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman will be conferred with the Lakshminarayana International Award this year, the organisers of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) announced on Thursday.

The award, instituted to honour artistes for their outstanding contributions to the field of arts, will be presented to Rahman at a special ceremony on December 15 at Rasika Ranjani Sabha in Chennai, according to a press release.

The ceremony will serve as the curtain-raiser to the upcoming edition of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival, a prestigious annual event that brings together Indian classical music and global musical traditions through cross-genre collaborations.

The festival and the international award are named after Prof V Lakshminarayana , a legendary violinist, musicologist and teacher, who played a pivotal role in popularising Carnatic violin on the global stage . Lakshminarayana, who taught at institutions in India and abroad, was also the father and guru of renowned violin maestro Dr L Subramaniam .

To honour his father’s legacy and lifelong contribution to music education and performance, Dr Subramaniam founded the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival in 1992 . The Lakshminarayana International Award , instituted a few years later, recognises artistes whose work has had a lasting impact on music and the arts at a global level.

A two-time Academy Award winner, Rahman is widely regarded as one of India’s most influential composers and is credited with transforming the soundscape of Indian cinema across languages. He has sold over 150 million records and composed music for more than 100 film soundtracks and albums.

His landmark works include films such as Roja , Bombay , Dil Se , Taal , Lagaan , Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours , which have earned him both critical acclaim and international recognition.

Trained in Western classical music at Trinity College, London , Rahman went on to establish the Panchathan Record Inn in Chennai, one of India’s most advanced recording studios. He made his debut with Roja , which earned him the National Film Award the first of seven, the highest number received by any Indian composer.

Rahman is also a recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan , and continues to be one of India’s most celebrated musicians, with his work influencing film, independent music and global collaborations.