It’s raining accolades for AR Rahman.

London’s Middlesex University conferred on him an honorary doctorate in music on Tuesday.

This comes after his Academy Award and another doctorate from Aligarh Muslim University last month.

There is one more to go — a doctorate from Madras University.

Though exhilarated at having received the honour, the reticent musician has chosen not to use the title.

“This is a very special moment indeed and the beginning of a lasting relationship,” he said, referring to the affiliation that his one-year-old KM Music Conservatory in Chennai has with the university.

“We were in talks with the institution for joint programmes between them and Rahman’s music school.

On the occasion of the convocation, we also signed an MoU which allows us to offer degree programmes in music from Middlesex University,” revealed T Selvakumar, director, KM Music Conservatory, who accompanied Rahman to the convocation.

“This would mean that our students enrolled for this programme will spend their third year at Middlesex University.”

He added that talks were also on for programmes that would allow students to spend all three years at Middlesex and would encourage foreign students to learn Indian classical music at the Conservatory.