A.R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman is planning to hold a free concert in Sydney, Australia in a bid to heal relations between the country and his native India after a spree of headline-grabbing attacks on Indian students.
The Oscar winning composer, who won two Academy Awards for his work on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, was devastated to hear of a series of violent incidents involving Indian students studying in Sydney and Melbourne over the past two months.
The attacks, feared to have been racially motivated, have received widespread media coverage in India and damaged Australia's reputation as a safe destination for students.
And Rahman is hoping to soothe frosty international relations with music - he has announced a free concert to be held in Sydney in January (10) as part of the region's cultural festival.
Rahman says, "Considering the recent hassles that have created a bad vibe, I thought this concert would be a statement of peace. I hope it will do what ever it can to reunite culturally and spiritually.
"This show is very important to me. I hope it creates a bridge of understanding and love.''
The concert will be held in Sydney's Parramatta Park on 16 January (10).
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