Photo exhibition at UN to commemorate the birth centenary of Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi.
A who’s who of the East Coast is expected to attend the performance of Indian maestro A.R Rahman at the United Nations in New York on Monday, August 15.
Rahman, an internationally renowned composer and musician, will be performing in a concert at the United Nations General Assembly Hall to mark India’s 70th Independence Day.
The invitation-only concert is overbooked, according to the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, which hosts the event with the support of Sankara Nethralaya, a charitable eye hospital in Chennai.
Rahman is a well-known in the United States having won the Golden Globe, two Academy Awards and two Grammy’s for his work on Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire.
The concert is not the only high-profile India-related cultural event at the UN next week.
The mission is also hosting a photo exhibition to commemorate the birth centenary of Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi from August 15 to 19. The photo exhibition will depict various facets and moments of her life and times providing a rare insight to the music legend’s achievements.
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Carnatic music legend’s performance at the United Nations. Subbulakshmi was invited by the then- Secretary General Late U Thant to perform at the UN General Assembly Hall on October 23, 1966 — a first for an Indian performing artist.
Subbulakshmi was the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna Award (1988), India’s highest civilian honour and also the first ever to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1974).
United Nations Postal Administration will issue a stamp to mark the birth centenary of Subbulakshmi.
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar will attend the events.
Dignitaries from the United Nations, Permanent Missions to the United Nations, Permanent Observers to the United Nations, UN specialized agencies and invited guests from the international community will be attending the event, according to the Indian mission.