Ace Music Composer AR Rahman has contributed immensely to Indian Music and taking it places across the globe, piling several accolades and honours. The Oscar Awardee has now decided to honour the rooted and rich Indian Classical Music and the Maestros by announcing a new awards, ‘Bharat Maestro Awards’. The news was confirmed by Variety and acknowledged by the musical icon himself on his birthday on Monday.
🎶 Honored to announce the launch of the #BharatMaestroAwards, celebrating the timeless art of Indian classical music. 🌟 Together, we honor bright talents, educators, and regional pioneers who keep this rich legacy alive.
— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) January 6, 2025
Let’s connect past, present, and future through the… pic.twitter.com/jJFaKDdLrR
AR Rahman along with his KM Music Conservatory are uniting to acknowledge, honour and recognise the deep rooted Classical legends and musicians of India and also open to identify young and thriving music artists.
The Bharat Maestro Awards is launched coinciding with the 16th year anniversary of the KM Conservatory and will have three categories :
- Four Awards for Promising Young Musicians
- A Lifetime Honour Achievement for Educators
- A State Medallion recognising regional contributions to Classical Music Preservations.
These awards will be presented by the traditional way of the Gurus (Teachers) honouring their Shishyas (Students) and also include a cash prize, gateways to perform at international stages and a possible collaboration with AR Rahman.
While speaking with Variety, AR Rahman noted that, “The greatest joy of a guru is to witness the success and growth of their students, and it is this bond that the Bharat Maestro Awards seeks to celebrate. The idea behind instituting this is for it to be more than just an award; it’s about connecting the past, present, and future of music, and uniting us all through the language of sound.”
The mentor panel for the awards will be graced by India’s finest Musical talents – Asha Bhosle, Amjad Ali Khan, Bombay Jayashree and Ajoy Chakrabarty. With an elite panel, the recognition itself becomes an honour for the recipient. The advisory board for the awards will have Classical Singer Ila Paliwal, Sai Shravanam, Director Bharat Bala, KM Conservatory Executive Director Fathima Rafiq, Music Composer Khatija Rahman, Adam Greig and Clint Valladares. The Bharat Maestro Awards is planned to be an Annual happening and looks forward to develop and enrich the cultural fabric of Indian Musical Heritage and wealthy history and to pass on the same to the younger generation of music artists.
