Rahman commissioned to unite India for Taj http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14457735
*Mumbai:* After the national anthem and poverty, music genius A R Rahman has another mission - the Taj Mahal. Rahman has composed an 'anthem' to help gather support for the voting campaign to nominate the Taj Mahal as one of the seven wonders of the world. "The Taj has always been a source of inspiration for me, and it is not just about the love between Mumtaz Mahal and Shahjahan but about everybody's love. I think this monument deserves to be on the list of seven wonders of the world and we should all strive for it," Rahman told reporters in Mumbai. The music director was commissioned to compose the album by IMCL, who are the official facilitators in India for the New Seven Wonders List that will be announced on July 7 in Lisbon, Portugal. "In the preliminary rounds of voting, we saw that India had absolutely no vote share and the Taj barely scraped through the final 21 nominees. To create awareness among Indians that they have to vote for the Taj, if it has to be shortlisted in the final seven, we asked Rahman if he would compose an anthem," said Bharat Kapadia of "India Unites for The Taj" campaign. Rahman himself admitted that he "hardly had any time" to actually compose the song. "I finished the song this very afternoon. I have even co-written some of the lyrics myself, which is a first for me." When asked whether the government had supported this initiative, Kapadia said, "We have approached Ministry of Tourism but they have not yet taken a final decision on whether they should participate. We are hopeful."
