Shakti bagged the Global Music Album award at Grammy Awards 2024 final month. The Fusion band that includes vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, percussionist V Selvaganesh, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan received for the album This Moment. In an unique interview with Hindustan Times publish the momentous success, Ganesh Rajagopalan sat down for a chat the place he opened up in regards to the making of the album, and his decades-long affiliation with the band. (Also learn: Grammy Awards 2024 winner Shakti: 5 things you need to know about Shankar Mahadevan and Zakir Hussain’s fusion band)

Congratulations on the Grammy win. We had been so euphoric and excited when that occurred. What does this recognition imply to you as an artist?

Thank you! (smiles) Grammys! It is like no matter you get in India, it’s like very expensive as a result of that’s from our residence proper? But in relation to the Grammys, it signifies that we get to the world stage the place we get recognition; which is basically large. Everybody is aware of about it. That’s one factor that’s but to sink in! (smiles)

Tell me a bit of bit about your decades-long affiliation with Shakti and the way it has advanced over time.

For me, as a younger boy I’ve been lucky sufficient to be enjoying with Vikku (T. H. Vinayakram)Ji, who has been a part of Shakti for the reason that starting and with Zakir (Hussain) Bhai for the previous 25 years. Also with Selva Ji (V. Selvaganesh), with whom I’ve been mates since childhood! I’ve heard a lot about John (McLaughlin) Ji as properly. Vikku ji would file issues in his small cassette, and play that with us whereas touring, saying, ‘This is what Shakti sounds, this is what the music is all about.’ You know, Shakti, while you hear it, you’re simply hooked on to the music it’s simply so lovely that it could possibly absorbs you in. There’s a lot vitality and a lot positivity in it, which you can really feel it. It is essentially the most lovely facet of Shakti’s music.

To take heed to the music is one factor however to play that onstage is one other factor itself. It is like floating in heaven, drenching within the incredible music of the good legends. It is gorgeous. I feel I’m actually lucky to be a part of the band.

Positive is actually a phrase that additionally resonates with me with Shakti’s music. I’ve heard that The Moment was conceptualized in the course of the pandemic. Tell me a bit of bit about that strategy of collaboration, in such a tumultuous time.

I’ll let you know one factor. Before the pandemic hit, we had been planning to tour Shakti in India. I feel it was round 2018-19, once we did two concert events. One was in Kolkata and the opposite was in Singapore. After this occurred, then the subsequent yr we had been all purported to tour the entire of India. Unfortunately because of the pandemic, it did not occur.

So then, at some point John Ji wrote an extended message the place he stated that he and Zakir bhai talked about this and so they need to do an album and he needs to speak about it. How we will do it, and we had been all in zoom calls in numerous components of the world! (smiles) That’s the way it started, the place he put all his ideas with all of us after which the compositions got here one after the other. It was all put collectively and everybody contributed with their stuff. It was all within the drop field, within the clouds! (smiles) We heard again, acquired the suggestions after which once more combined… it was an extended course of. The complete factor took multiple and a half years. I imply, we had nothing else to do however even then it took one and a half years. On hindsight, it was an exquisite journey, and really fruitful the truth is, as a result of final yr we additionally toured Europe, had lot of concert events in India. So that was lovely, after the album got here out we did the tour and it additionally culminated into the 50 years of Shakti! (smiles)

Tell me about that celebration…

It was all the identical for Zakir bhai and John ji as a result of they had been having enjoyable on stage. That’s what you realize, as a result of while you get on stage and play with these masters, you instantly develop into a scholar. You attempt to see how they’re enjoying and each time they play it is sort of a revelation. Something reveals, and also you study. (smiles) So, the chemistry between them and the way they egg the others to do higher is simply lovely. It is simply so miraculous to see John ji play like this at his age and I can see when individuals say how he was throughout some years in the past!

So, this fifty yr tour we did fairly a number of concert events in Europe and America. In America we did about 16-17 concert events and so they had been all large exhibits. You identify it and we had been enjoying there! We had lovely opening acts with Bella Flake, Jerry Douglas and so they simply lifted the live performance to a different degree. It was at the moment once I noticed how Shakti affected individuals’s lives and musicians. I bear in mind Zakir bhai telling me that after they first got here up with this file, they didn’t know the place to suit it as a style. It was not jazz, it was not Indian Classical… but it surely was one thing so completely different. They had been those, with Shakti, who gave that means to the phrase ‘fusion.’ So, it was a variety of enjoyable.

I need to conclude by asking about whether or not you’ve gotten any particular precept or rule that you’ve got at all times saved in thoughts or adopted as an artist.

I at all times consider my non secular guru and my musical guru, my dad. I at all times consider them as blessing me it helps me quite a bit. That’s what I do. Because we create on a regular basis, I simply need to really feel superb and that every one goes properly. That all of us play properly, and the live performance goes properly. These are very, very elementary issues that I’ve at all times saved in thoughts, that is all.

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