Talking shop: AR Rahman

Indian composer AR Rahman is known by some as the Mozart of Asia. He wrote the music to the multi award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, earning himself two Oscars, a Bafta and a Golden Globe in the process.

But his work on many Bollywood movies and beyond has also won many plaudits.

Now, Rahman is hoping the popularity of his work will continue with the forthcoming release of his new Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya, which recently had its launch at Bafta, London.

On his recent trip to the UK he spoke to the BBC Asian Network.

You're no stranger to London with your film projects - do you like spending time in the UK?

Yes I definitely like to spend time here. This time I'm here to collect a Fellowship Award from the Trinity College of Music. It's very special to me because I studied Trinity College's syllabus when I was 13.

I'm now 43 and it's great to visit the place itself. I never expected it to be such a big college.

Talking of awards, has the success of Slumdog Millionaire sunk in yet?

It's surreal! I think every human being has the time of their life and probably 2009 was it for me.

It's every artist's dream to get an Oscar or a Grammy - I've got two Oscars and am up for two Grammys this year too - that's pretty cool!

I always felt our industry was isolated and needed some kind of recognition. When you look at Hollywood they have every kind of representation - Chinese, Italian and French - but you rarely find an Indian composer so I am very proud to achieve the recognition.

What kind of reaction did you get back home in India after the success of Slumdog Millionaire?

It was very overwhelming and people were full of love for me. The success of Slumdog came just a few months after the disastrous attacks in Mumbai which almost divided the country leaving people confused and very angry.

But the success of the awards brought everyone in the communities together so I felt good winning at the right time.

When you were at the Oscars you met Michael Jackson. What was he like?

I went to Michael Jackson's house to meet him. He was such a nice guy. He even opened the door for me. We talked about life, social issues and global warming.

We met for a second time a month later and I wished him luck with his shows. I wanted to go to his rehearsals but then I heard the bad news. Such a tragedy.

Your father was a celebrated composer who died when you were still young - did he still have an influence on what you do today?

Musically he probably just taught me the basics but what he left behind was a lot of good will from musicians. Every time I went to the studios I heard good things about him which encouraged me to do well too.

Throughout my career I've always had pressure but most of it comes from within - so I can make myself work harder. I give everything 100%. It would be worrying if I didn't. At the end of the day I am a perfectionist.

Tell us about your genre of music, bringing together both Indian and Western influences.

I imagine myself as a listener when I am working. So for example if I work on a multi-cultural film I know the music has to complement it. Sometimes I like producing a new sound which in turn inspires the director to move away from traditional dances and do something completely different. The director and I work together. I wouldn't take all the credit. It's teamwork.

How big a part does spirituality play, especially since you converted to Islam?

I try to make it spiritual. I want to create a very positive energy in the songs because so many people listen to them. Even the core and the nucleus of the song has to be true and honest and the only way to do that is set up a foundation which is spiritual.

Both my parents were Hindu but my father was influenced by Sufism and its positive energies towards leading a peaceful life. It helps us as a family to reflect on positive things in life. Being religious helps me counter greed and materialism and deal with disappointments in life as well as success. Religion is very important to me.

How do you keep the balance between work and home life?

Most of my studios are based inside my various residences especially in Chennai, London and LA so I'm always with my family. I keep checking on the kids while I am working although at certain times I do lock myself into the studio because I want to be alone. The set up works for me.

The only authorised biography of you is due out soon?

Yes it's by Nasreen Muni Kabir and it's called AR Rahman - The Spirit of Music and she's still working on it. Nasreen is good as whatever she has done so far has been respected and read well so I hope her book on me is good too. It'll be out next year.

Will you ever try directing or acting?

I'm a musician and will continue to do music and just music.

Asia marks fifth anniversary of Indian Ocean tsunami

Countries across the Indian Ocean are marking the fifth anniversary of the catastrophic tsunami that killed almost 250,000 people.

In Indonesia's Aceh province, where 170,000 died, thousands held prayers in public mosques and private homes.

On Thai beaches, Buddhist monks chanted prayers as mourners held pictures of loved ones lost five years ago.

Hundreds of tourists also returned to Phuket island to mark one of the worst natural disasters of modern times.

A moment of silence was observed on Phuket's popular Patong Beach marking the time the tsunami struck.

German survivor Ruschitschka Adolf, 73, and his wife Katherina waded into the turquoise seawater to lay white roses as a tribute to the dead.

"We [still] come and stay here because we are alive," Mr Adolf told Reuters news agency.

Other ceremonies were expected in the 14 countries hit by the massive wave.

Communities rebuilt

Thousands of survivors in Indonesia's Aceh province, the hardest-hit area, gathered at mosques and beside the mass graves where tens of thousands were buried.

"None of my family members survived in the tsunami," Siti Aminah, 72, told AFP news agency at a grave site near Banda Aceh, Aceh's capital.

"My children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, they all have gone and left me alone here."

Banda Aceh's main business district, which was completely destroyed by the tsunami, is again bustling with activity, says the BBC's Karishma Vaswani there.

Our correspondent says many have rebuilt their lives thanks to billions of dollars in international aid.

But five years on, the grief and trauma of the disaster are still very real for the people of Aceh, she adds.

After Indonesia, Sri Lanka was the country worst hit by the tsunami.

More than 40,000 people died there and half a million were displaced.

Visitors can still see blackened, destroyed buildings in the country's south and west, the BBC's Charles Haviland reports from Colombo.

There are also large vistas with a view of the ocean from the coast road, which were once blocked by buildings, our correspondent says.

But there has been good recovery too - aid grants have brought some farmers to a higher technical level than before.

And one model village built by a philanthropist - which started out as 1,000 homes for victims - has now developed to take in a health centre, diving classes and more, our correspondent adds.

Unprecedented scale

The tsunami was sparked by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra - the mightiest earthquake in 40 years.

In Aceh province, the quake toppled homes and buildings and sent panicked residents rushing into the streets.

About 20 minutes later, a wall of water up to six stories high surged in from the sea, burying thousands in thick black mud and leaving others to scramble up buildings or cling onto trees.

It was a disaster on an unprecedented scale, the BBC's Rachel Harvey reports from Bangkok.

Apart from the deaths, hundreds of thousands people lost their homes and livelihoods.

No single agency or government could have been prepared for the challenges the tsunami presented, our South-East Asia correspondent says.

Following the disaster, the UN has been designated to coordinate relief work in massive disaster zones.

The so-called Cluster System for emergency response was used to good effect after the Padang earthquake in Indonesia in September, our correspondent says.