Music maestro A.R. Rahman, who celebrated his 42nd birthday yesterday, has started a music academy in an effort to create India’s first professional symphonic orchestra. The KM Music Conservatory and Audio Media Education will be located in Chennai and is the first Apple authorized training centre in India. It will train singers and music students in both classical and western music along with the electronic aspects involved in creating music. Eminent Indian and international musicians will act as the faculty at this centre. Deserving students will also be given scholarships from the A.R. Rahman Foundation. According to Rahman, the vision of this conservatory is to eliminate the obstacle of Indian musicians having to go abroad to find orchestras and provide an exemplary professional orchestra in India. Rahman, who is popularly referred to as the Mozart of Madras, is renowned for both his soul stirring melodies and electronic sounds. He feels that a knowledge of both music performance and music technology is invaluable to today’s musicians. Let’s wish the genius all the best in his noble initiative.