V Selvaganesh and Ganesh Rajagopalan are incredible musicians. They are my guru and my mentor, and they are my inspiration. What more can a musician ask for in his lifetime and career? And now it’s been 23 years that I am part of this legendary band Shakti and I’m also a part of the 50-year celebration of this legendary group all thanks to John ji and Ustad Zakir Hussain ji for their immense contribution to Shakti and to their contribution to music. And as luck would have it and by God’s grace, I was sitting with them on stage sitting with Ustad Zakir Hussain and John McLaughlin ji and performing.
And in those days, I had a huge wish in my life to just meet the legendary Shakti band and to take a picture with them because they revolutionised the concept of world music with so much energy and precision and musicality. When I was in college and school I used to listen to their cassettes especially their studio album Natural Elements and many others and I literally learned from those cassettes. Shakti was a band which was a part of my music learning process in my life.
You have been a part of this legendary group for 23 years… Ganesh Rajagopalan is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a world tour. The iconic band Shakti comprising you, John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, V Selvaganesh. Shankar Mahadevan jamming with Berklee Indian Ensemble, with Annette Philip on the piano. These two musicians spearhead the project, and I would love to congratulate all the kids from the Berklee College of Music and the Indian ensemble especially for doing so beautifully. I would like to congratulate the entire team, especially Rohith Jayaraman and Annette Philip. Whether they win the Grammy or not it does not matter, their participation and their nomination is much more important. So, I am very happy for them, and I feel it is truly deserving. And also, even if a song has been previously recorded, they give their own interpretation and give it a new colour. They have so much depth and Indian musicality, they understand Indian music, western music and they are always full of energy and enthusiasm to collaborate and to innovate.
They work hard and spend so much time on music. It is really a very happy moment for those children who are a part of the Berklee Indian Ensemble. I am extremely happy with the Grammy nomination. Superstar Rihanna on finding work-life balance: ‘Almost impossible because…’
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