Building on their achievements

HE’S ALREADY been recognised with a Grammy and a BAFTA award and now renowned Indian music composer AR Rahman can add another feather to his cap: the prestigious Fukuoka Grand Prize, an annual award that recognises people who preserve and create the unique and diverse cultures of Asia.

Pakistani female architect and humanitarian Yasmeen Lari was also honoured at last week’s award ceremony at the Fukuoka Symphony Hall with the Arts and Culture prize while historian and writer Dr Ambeth R Ocampo from the Philippines won the Academic prize.

Rahman and his musicians closed out the ceremony, joining the young members of the Fukuoka high school band for a rousing rendition of “Jai Ho”, the song from the 2009 hit movie “Slumdog Millionaire”.

The Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer and musician is known for integrating Eastern classical music with electronic music, world music and traditional orchestral arrangements. Affectionately known as the “Mozart of Madras”, he was asked by Slumdog’s director Danny Boyle to score the film, which went on to win a number of prestigious film prizes including Golden Globe, BAFTA, Grammy and Academy Awards. Rahman himself became the first winner of the Oscar from India (for Best Original Score and Best Original Song). 

A notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising money for a number of causes and charities, the soft-spoken Rahman says he honoured to receive the award.

Academic laureate Ocampo echoed his words, saying: “When I saw the list of awardees, I was both honoured and humbled by the award. It was totally undeserved and also a bit scary because I don't know what I will do afterwards to continue to deserve the award.

Ocampo, who tries to make history fun and whose bi-weekly editorial page column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer is a popular read, says he enjoys mixing his research into such influential figures as Jose Rizal with looking into the origins of, say, shaved ice. 

“Finding the relevant context and meaning in the past can be useful for the present. It allows us to liberate ourselves from the past so we can go forward to the future,” he says.

Lari was equally surprised to be awarded the Arts and Culture prize, especially as she is no longer working as an architect in the commercial sense of the word. 

“I am so grateful for this because I don’t think my work can ever be internationally acknowledged,” says Lari who is one of the most successful providers of disaster relief shelters in the world, having built more than 36,000 houses for victims of floods and earthquakes in Pakistan since 2010. Her shelters are based on local needs and are made of locally sourced materials like lime and bamboo, making them low-emission and easy for the victims themselves to build. She is also active in campaigning for zero carbon. 

“If you want to deal with disasters you have to prepare for them beforehand and work with zero carbon and zero cost. Disasters will continue as the planet continues to change. So what the Fukuoka Prize has done for me is to spread my message much further and make my voice stronger,” the 74-year-old Lari, who was Pakistan’s first female architect, told XP.

Despite coming from very different backgrounds, the three laureates came up with similar answers on the value of family when a high school student asked them how people should prepare themselves for the future.

“The most important thing is to respect family,” said 49-year-old Rahman, adding that a functional family helps children to achieve anything in their lives. He lost his father, also a musician, when he was very young, he explained. “But my mother continued to encourage me to work on my music and I eventually won a scholarship to study Western music at Trinity College of Music in London.”

Ocampo agreed, crediting his parents for allowing him to pursue his interests, leading to a passion for research and writing. His 92-year-old father flew to Japan to attend the ceremony and joined his son onstage. 

Each of the three recipients gave a special talk about their work and took part in a school visit programme to share their knowledge and inspiration with high school students.

Rahman went to the Daiichi Pharmaceutical University High School where the students welcomed him with a performance of “O Saya” -the theme song from “Slumdog”. The school is also famous for music as its Brass Band has won the Grand Prix (World Champions) twice at the Vienna Music Festival. Rahman held a special workshop, inviting five students at a time to come forward, close their eyes and listen to him playing unfamiliar songs. He then asked them to express their feelings about what they had just heard and exchange ideas and thoughts.

Lari went to share her experiences at Fukuoka Girls' High School while Ocampo headed to the private Sophia Fukuoka High School, which is affiliated with Sophia University in Tokyo where Ocampo was a visiting fellow in Institute of Asian Cultures.

Fukuoka City plays a significant role in promoting exchanges with other regions of Asia especially in art and cultures field. The Fukuoka Prize was established in 1990 by the city and the Yokatopia Foundation (former the Fukuoka City International Foundation) to honour outstanding achievements by individuals, groups or organisations in preserving and creating the unique and diverse cultures of Asia.

The Fukuoka Prize asks for nomination from approximately 7,000 experts in different fields in Asian region. To date there have been 102 prize recipients from 27 countries and regions and past laureates have continued to be recognised around the world. They include Muhammad Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 and Mo Yanm who was recognised with the Nobel Literature Prize in 2012.

Several Thai scholars and artists have been recognised with awards, among them statesman ML Kukrit Pramoj, who was honoured with the Special Commemorative Award in 1990, archaeologist and historian MC Subhadradis Diskul, Dr Nidhi Eoseewong, Prof Srisakra Vallibhotama and Dr Charnvit Kasetsiri plus artist Thawan Duchanee and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.