Oscar-winning music composer A.R. Rahman emphasised on the significance of English in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that Hindi should replace English as the connection language across different linguistic groups, at an event on Thursday, according to a report by Times of India.
He claims that English is a worldwide language that helps to break down obstacles. He was speaking at the launch of Nexa Music's second season, which finds new talent in English music.
When asked if he would like to come up with a similar talent sourcing and identification series like Nexa Music in India's regional languages, the composer gave a definitive answer. "The movie industry is doing great with music in Indian languages," said the man who has been hailed as the 'Mozart of Madras'. "This initiative is focused on making our artists global so that they can compete for Grammys and be on international platforms” he added.
The world of music is "out of ideas," the maestro said. "The rest of the world is waiting for India in terms of music," he further said.
On a completely separate yet genuine topic, Rahman said that sometimes pressure brings out the best in individuals. "It's excellent to push people on the brink, it delivers great outcomes," he said.
Earlier, amid the language controversy, the composer had shared a post about 'Beloved Tamil' along with an illustration of 'Thamizhanangu' of 'Goddess Tamil', which is a word from the Tamil anthem penned by Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai.
The anthem incorporates a phrase from 'Thamilyakkam,' an anthology of Tamil poetry, penned by Bharathidasan, a Tamil poet of the twentieth century. "Beloved Tamil is the root of our existence," the phrase says.
