Music maestro AR Rahman will receive the Lakshminarayana International Award on December 15 during the curtain raiser of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival 2025. The Lakshminarayana International Award, presented to distinguished figures in the arts, will this year recognize the Oscar-winning composer and singer for his remarkable contribution to music. According to a press release, the honor will be conferred during a special ceremony to mark the launch of the 35th edition of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival. The event will take place at Rasika Ranjani Sabha in Chennai on Monday, December 15, at 2 pm. A two-time Oscar winner, Rahman is widely credited with redefining the soundscape of Indian cinema. Over his career, he has sold more than 150 million records across more than a hundred film albums and soundtracks. His celebrated works include Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. Trained in Western classical music at Trinity College, he founded the pioneering Panchathan Record Inn in Chennai and made a historic debut with Roja, winning the National Award and later earning six more, the most for any Indian composer. He is also a recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. Apart from film, Rahman continues to innovate through projects like his VR film Le Musk and by nurturing new talent with the KM Music Conservatory, the Sonsky Orchestra, the Firdaus Orchestra and his recent ensembles Rooh-e-Noor and Jhalaa. Through the AR Rahman Foundation, he remains committed to education and philanthropy. Featured in Time’s “100 Most Influential People” and named Honorary President of Trinity Laban in 2024, Rahman is at the forefront of world music, seamlessly bridging tradition, technology and culture. In January 2023, Dr. L. Subramaniam & AR Rahman collaborated with three generations and produced a new version of Don’t Leave Me, one of Dr. L. Subramaniam’s soulful compositions, which he composed for his father in 1985. The song is from one of the most acclaimed albums, Conversations. This version was done as a tribute to prof. V. Lakshminarayana for his 111th birth anniversary. (With inputs from news agency ANI)