A.R.Rahman Foundation for underprivileged

Launched in support of the cause of education for less privileged children

For the second year in a row, the A.R.Rahman Foundation in collaboration with World Light (Audio Media Education Subsidiary) has come out with their official calendar. Supporting the cause of education for less privileged children, the Foundation has set up educational institutions and provides world class, state-of-the-art infrastructure and education to underprivileged children who do not have the means to access and fund their education. This will equip them with knowledge and skill sets to pursue specialized higher studies that will provide them career opportunities to build a secure future for themselves and their families, Foundation states.

“At the Foundation, we know that there is no better investment than that in the education of children.” says Oscar Winner A R Rahman. The Foundation is providing free music education to 30 students from corporation schools in Chennai (India) in Rahman's world-class K M Music Conservatory and aims at increasing this number.

One of A.R.Rahman's quotes in the calendar is in Tamil and translates to evince his deep belief in the Almighty- “EACH and EVERY glory belongs to GOD.”

The calendar features pictures of singers and musicians from a broad cross section of the Indian music industry. From Chinmayi's classic portrayal of a traditional singer to Benny Dayal's heart-felt crooning, the musicians have struck a common chord that echoes through the calendar-- a quiet yet powerful energy that is the trademark of A.R.Rahman himself. One factually interesting aspect of the calendar is that of the ten musicians featured in it, eight of them found their way into the industry through A.R.Rahman.

Capturing the musicians as they reflect their profound passion for their chosen craft is photographer Selvakumar, the CEO of Audio Media Education and a specialist in visual art. “A moment of giving is much greater than a moment of receiving. I am honoured to be associated with the A R Rahman Foundation. I believe each one of us should come forward and support this initiative,” he says.

Notes to the editor: ABOUT AR RAHMAN FOUNDATION:

AR Rahman Foundation strives towards making poverty history. On the path to achieving this vision, the foundation has set up educational institutions and is providing world class, state-of-the-art infrastructure and education to underprivileged children who do not have the means to access & fund their education. This equips them with the knowledge and skill sets required to pursue specialized higher studies that will provide them with career opportunities to build a secure future for themselves and their families.

CALENDAR CREDITS:

Photography: T.Selvakumar, Creative Team: A.R.Rahman, T.Selvakumar and Sarangarajan Design: Pollen Web Creatives. Makeup: Venkat, Ramana, Harsha Babu. Vidya Jagtap (Mumbai); Styling and Costumes: Drashta Sarvaiya, Vivek Karunakaran, Geetha Solaraj & Navaneetha Selvakumar; Printing: NPT Offset Press Pvt. Ltd. Artist Management: Noel James, Swamy Durai, Vijay Iyer & Nazeef Mohammed Photography Studio: Worldlight, Chennai & Sri Balaji Studios (Mumbai) Equipment: Hasselblad H3D II 31 Medium Format Digital SLR, Broncolor Power Packs and Heads.