Rahman is the toast of India in the US

MAN OF THE MOMENT: Rahman gave a rendition of the National Anthem at the Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts.

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Washington DC: It was a proud moment for all Indians in the US when acclaimed music director AR Rahman performed at the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC on the occasion of the 60th year of India's Independence.

As part of the celebrations Rahman gave a rendition of the Indian National Anthem on the piano.

The composer was also felicitated with the Indian and American Achievement Award in the arts, entertainment and media category at the event.

Following are excerpts of an interview with Rahman:

CNN-IBN: We are celebrating the 60th year of India’s Independence. We talk about economic growth but how do you think we have done musically, especially on the world stage?

AR Rahman: There is a kind of awareness now on what steps to take and how to expand the medium of music. At the same time we see that classical music is also growing. Nowadays there are so many kids taking to classical music and they perform beautifully.

CNN-IBN: We have seen some of your international projects and music for the Lord of the Rings. Is there any more music that you are going to create for Hollywood and are there any other international projects coming up?

AR Rahman: The Lord of the Rings musical is going on in London. We are planning to produce the album. There are a lot of Hollywood companies like Disney and Warner coming to India and most of the movies are big films produced by Indian directors. I am part of those projects.

CNN-IBN: Are you still creating music at night or are you trying to graduate to creating music during the day as well?

AR Rahman: No, I want to be a student. I don’t want to graduate (laughs).