As devotional music finds new audiences across generations and geographies, singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan believes its enduring appeal lies in its deep-rooted spiritual legacy. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror about his upcoming devotional music concert Anandam, that brings together some of India’s most celebrated voices, Shankar says the aim is to present the country’s rich spiritual music tradition on an unprecedented scale while preserving its sanctity.
“Some of the pieces, songs and shlokas that we are singing are so ancient that nobody even knows how many thousands of years ago they originated, he says. “This is the perfect time to bring them out and put them before people not only in our country but across the world, so they can hear, experience and make them their own.”For the Grammy and National Award-winning musician, devotional music transcends language and cultural barriers because of its spiritual essence. “Music is a very strong unifying factor. India is a deeply spiritual and mystical land, and we need to give people the feeling and essence of that spirituality when they come and listen to this concert,” he says.The show features Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Usha Uthup, the Nandi Sisters and several other acclaimed artistes. “Artists like Sonu Nigam and Shaan are incredibly busy and among the top artistes of the country. The fact that they showed faith in this devotional concert and put their heart, mind and soul into it, I am truly indebted to all of them,” he says.According to Shankar, the concert’s uniqueness lies in its ability to elevate devotional and spiritual music without compromising its purity. “We wanted to present devotional music and spiritual music of our country on a different scale. We wanted to level it up while maintaining the sanctity and purity of the music. That is the beauty of this show.”Anandam combines music, storytelling, spirituality, technology and immersive visuals, promising an experience unlike any seen before in the devotional space. However, Shankar insists it is not about changing how audiences engage with devotional music, but about introducing them to something entirely new. “It doesn’t change anything. People will experience it for the first time. This will be the beginning of a new experience. The level at which we are taking devotional music, nobody has ever done it before,” he says.
