Poverty is not just about India: A R Rahman

New Delhi, Dec 24 (UNI) His composition for Broadway musicals like 'Bombay Dreams' and the stage adaptation of Tolkien's 'Lord Of The Rings' has won him a huge fan following across the world.

Easily the best known Indian globally, along with mega superstar of the millennium Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh 'King' Khan and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, musical maestro A R Rahman now seeks to use his internationally-recognised musical prowess for a noble cause.

Ready for release early next year is 'Pray for me brother', the first English rendition sung and composed by Rahman, shot on the 'mobile cinemascope format' in the form of a music video, to drive home the message of compassion for the poor and the underprivileged the world over.

''Poverty is not just about India. It is also about the United States. I feel there is a strong need to create awareness about poverty in the world,''Rahman said at a function to unveil the video, shot in Los Angeles in the United States which has Rahman making a compassionate plea for mitigating the condition of the poor and the underprivileged in the world in his trademark 'high-pitched' voice.

''Two years ago a friend came to me with the idea of doing a song which could serve as an anti-poverty anthem for the millennium goals for the UN. Then, an idea occurred to me to create a music video of the song. I could not think of anyone else but Bharat Bala (who also shot 'Vande Mataram) to shoot the video,''Rahman said after unveiling the video at a function in the capital on Friday Rahman expressed the hope that the song would be a step forward in the direction of achieving a poverty free world by 2010.

''Pray for me brother'', to be exclusively available on Nokia N series Music edition (Nokia N91, N70 and N73), is part of a joint venture between Nokia Nseries and the A R Rahman Foundation to generate funds for the poor and underprivileged.

The song will be performed live by Rahman for the first time at the Nokia's New Year's eve celebrations in Mumbai on December 31 where the musical maestro will be among a host of Indian and International artists including Bollywood actors Priyanka Chopra, Koena Mitra and Shahid Kapoor and Grammy award winner Nelly Furtado.

The proceeds from the live concert will also go to the underprivileged. ''Bringing out the music video and the New Year celebrations in association with Nokia are part of the endeavour to raise funds for the foundation, the basic idea behind which is to have schools that create prospective 'leaders', ''Rahman said.

Nokia N series along with AR Rahman will create a website www.prayformebrother.com wherein interested parties will be guided for donating funds. People can also donate funds via SMS during the performance of A R Rahman at Nokia New Year's celebration by following a short code 'Nokia N series-ARR' that will be displayed on television.

On the release of the music video on the mobile cinemascope format, Rahman said,''I am happy that 'Pray for Me Brother' will reach out to the audiences through an interactive and popular medium of Nokia N series music edition devices.

Talking about the activities of his foundation, Rahman said, ''through the foundation, I plan to set up hospitals and schools for the needy with the help of funds generated through my performances.

The music video is only the first step in this direction.'' In this context, he said he had bought a land near Chennai a few years ago and hoped to build a hospital there in the near future.

Rahman's association with social causes like fighting poverty was not something new. ''I am the ambassador in the drive to fight Tuberculosis,''Rahman said.

In this regard, he said that in the recent future he planned to come out with another album with a message for women's emancipation.

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