Bengaluru: Three-time Grammy Award-winning musician Ricky Kej said there was a time when Bengaluru reverberated with Carnatic music and the tunes of Dollu and Kamsale, the folk music tradition of Karnataka, but now every sound feels at home in Bengaluru.
Cage launched his new version of the national anthem with renowned classical musicians of India on 9 August in Bengaluru.
The new national anthem, which will be available for public to hear from August 14, has also created a Guinness World Record as it involved around 14,000 students of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences.
In Bengaluru, Cage was hosted by The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts for the launch. According to Anurag Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts, they had teamed up with Cage to celebrate the recent achievement by the hotel of cementing its position in the top three Best Hotel Brands in the World for 2024 by readers of Travel Leisure USA.
Speaking to PTI after the launch, Kej said there is no doubt that the new version of the national anthem will feature “composers who are at the top of the game.”
Cage said, “I was hoping they would say yes and I was lucky they agreed to work with me. For me it was very simple. I admire the music they make and wanted to work with them.”
The new version of the national anthem will feature flutists Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Rakesh Chaurasia, santoor player Rahul Sharma, nadaswaram players Sheikh Mehboob Subhani and Kalishabi Mehboob, sarod players Aman Ali Bangash and Ayan Ali Bangash, veena player Jayanti Kumaresh, and leading Carnatic percussionist Giridhar Udupa.
Cage emphasized that as a musician, collaborating with others on projects aimed at creating a positive social impact is what brings joy to the musician within him.
Cage said, “If I was doing something that was expected of me, I would be making commercial music. I would probably be making Bollywood music. But since I’m doing what I want to do, most of my music is about the environment and creating a positive social impact.”
He said that even after all these years, it still excites him to see different genres and different cultures come together through musical collaborations.
Cage said, “I think it’s a way to show that we’re all the same even though we’re different. Music is a beautiful way to bring people together. So that’s what I try to do, not only showcase the important messages I want to give through music, but also bring forward collaboration.”
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