MUSIC GENIUS A.R Rahman has not only swept the Tamil cine industry off its feet but has also made the entire Bollywood sit up and take notice of his versatile talent. And while the entire country dances to his tunes, he has gone on to win several national and international awards. Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to mention that his tunes are still popular across the globe.

And now he has been called upon to play a different tune altogether. Yes, Rahman has been made global ambassador for the World Health Organisation - an honour that will see him promote health consciousness throughout the globe, especially in countries which require a lot of basic health interventions not only in terms of systems support but also for the spread of a proper approach to health care.

To begin with, Rahman has been given another honorary title by the international organisation which has organised a special group to spread awareness about tuberculosis around the world and the composer has been appointed as the global ambassador for this agency. The news was announced by the WHO at London's House of Commons along with a wing of the international agency known as "Stop House" and another organisation "Stop TB Partnership".

Accepting the honour, Rahman said: "Music is not just entertainment alone. It is also a good remedy to illnesses. People think that tuberculosis doesn't exist in the developed countries. But tuberculosis is affecting the population round the world like never before in the history of mankind. It is causing immense loss of life."

And with March 24 being christened as "Global Tuberculosis Day", Rahman will be in Delhi to lend support to members of the global tuberculosis alliance which is spearheading the fight against a disease which has made comeback in many developing countries and which also is responsible for many other complications like AIDS.