India's finest and most reputed international music director, AR Rahman, will perform Jana Gana Mana - The National Anthem of India at the inaugural CineMaya Media Group Indian & American Achiever Awards on Thursday, September 13, 2007 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.

Beloved for his renditions of Maa Tujhe Salaam and Vande Matram, AR Rahman is one of the most prolific music composers of his generation internationally. He has scored the music for number of popular and critically acclaimed films.

His first movie album Roja was listed in TIME magazine's "Top 10 Movie Soundtracks of All Time". AR Rahman has also achieved international acclaim for his musical compositions. He has composed the score for Shekhar Kapur's film 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age'. Andrew Lloyd Webber, well-known composer of musicals, hired AR Rahman to compose his maiden stage production, 'Bombay Dreams' in 2002. He has also composed the music for 'The Lord of the Rings' theatre production, which first opened in Toronto on March 23, 2006.

Rahman says "It is my great honor to be able to sing Jana Gana Mana, India's National Anthem during the 60th Year of Independence Celebrations in the heart of the US Capital. CineMaya Media is doing a great job by celebrating the 60th Anniversary of India's Independence and recognizing individuals and MNCs which have contributed towards the collective advancement and growth of the two largest democracies in the world. "

Supported by the US-India Business Council, this inaugural event also features performances by internationally acclaimed maestros of Indian music Dr. Balamurali Krishna and Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty (in a duet - jugalbandi), Pandit Birju Maharaj, and Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.

The evening is hosted by rising Bollywood star, Kunal Khemu and the US National Anthem will be performed by Penn Masala, the world's first and premier Indian a-cappella group.

The prestigious awards are instituted to recognize individuals and companies who have excelled in their fields, in four separate categories. There will be two Honorees in each category, one an Indian and the other an American.  The categories are Innovation, Science & Technology, Arts, Entertainment and Media, Multi-National Company & Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award

The list of Nominees is impressive as it includes great individual achievers in their respective fields, such as President Bill Clinton, Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, A. R. Rahman, N. R. Narayana Murthy, Shah Rukh Khan, and Dr. Deepak Chopra, amongst other great individuals and corporations.