Mumbai: The news — and other programmes — on New Delhi Television’s (NDTV) new Hindi channel will play against a signature theme created specially for the channel by the talented A R Rahman.

It’s a huge coup for NDTV since Rahman is famous for being very choosy about his projects. And while he’s booked back to back for various movies and entertainment projects, Rahman says he found it impossible to turn down NDTV when Prannoy Roy approached him to design the sound of NDTV India, Roy’s new Hindi channel.

The reclusive Rahman is reported to have once said that when he was starting out his career as a composer, he was inspired by the theme music of The World This Week, NDTV’s flagship programme in the nineties. Despite his unbelievably tight schedule, Rahman made the time for this unusual project for NDTV.

“We always knew we wanted Rahman and nobody else to design the theme of our Hindi channel,” says NDTV chief executive producer Radhika Roy. “It’s not just his music — which of course is in a league by itself — but it’s also what he stands for. He’s somebody who’s always done his own thing. And as an organisation, that is exactly what NDTV does. We’ve taken risks, gone against the norm, and broken new ground. And so Rahman was a perfect match for us. He marches to the beat of his own drum. And we love that about him.”

Certain that Rahman would create the perfect sound, an NDTV team sat with Rahman in Chennai and watched him do what he does best. Also, Radhika Roy and Rahman interacted with each other while Rahman was composing the music... to analyse and formulate the precise kind of music that NDTV needed.

“It was so easy for us because what we wanted is exactly what Rahman’s trademark is — music which pulsates with energy and truth,” says Radhika Roy. A few days after his first meeting with the NDTV team, Rahman handed over his composition. “When we heard it, we were blown away. It was uplifting, urgent, impressive, and welcoming — all the things our news is.”

Music for the English channel has been composed by David Lowe, who is famous for his signature tunes for the BBC and British Airways. Lowe started his composition for NDTV in England, and then spent a month at NDTV’s offices in Delhi mixing in the final elements.

NDTV India and NDTV 24/7 will go on air by 14 April 2003.

NDTV is, and has been for the last 15 years, a pioneer in Indian television news. Now NDTV is set to create a fresh revolution in high-quality television news with the launch of two separate news channels: a 24-hour news channel in Hindi and a 24-hour news channel in English.

Through its history, NDTV has broken fresh ground in technology and quality, while always achieving the highest standards in news programming. From path-breaking shows like The World This Week (nominated one of India’s five best TV programmes since Independence), to the first privately produced nightly news bulletin on Doordarshan, The News Tonight… from producing India’s first 24-hour news channel Star News, to the first live coverage of elections and tracking of the budget live, NDTV has always been the leader in news and current affairs television.

NDTV’s team of professional journalists includes India’s best-known faces on television, a team that has won a large number of international awards, including India’s first-ever international Emmy Award.

As an organisation, NDTV is totally committed to one cause: to use its experience, expertise, technology and reach to create unparalleled coverage of the latest in domestic and international news and entertainment for viewers at home and around the world.