The fusion band Shakti comprising John McLaughlin (guitarist), Shankar Mahadevan (vocalist), Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla player), V Selvaganesh (percussionist) and Ganesh Rajagopalan (violinist) created history at the 66th Grammy Awards by winning the Best Global Album Award for This Moment, their first studio album in 46 years. Talking to us after the ceremony, Selvaganesh says, “This Moment (punning on the album title) matters the most to me. It was the best moment of my life. This is Shakti’s 50th year and this is our first studio. We couldn’t have asked for more. My dad (veteran percussionist Vikku Vinayakram) was part of Shakti for 25 years and I grew up listening to the band. Having been a part of it for 25 years now, this feels like a dream.”
Recalling the moment when the award was announced, he says, “We sat with our fingers crossed and as soon as the award was announced, we jumped. When we went on the stage, I was the first one to get the trophy. I will never forget that moment. It was an inexplicable feeling. We were proud that we did it for India.”
Selvaganesh says the contribution of the band in the fusion music space has been enormous and to be recognised for it on such a global level “feels gratifying”. He adds, “Shakti opened the gates for fusion music, taking Indian sounds to the world. Winning a Grammy is great, but winning it in the Best Global Album category is all that we could have asked for. John ji always says, ‘Give your 100% in whatever you do and 200% would come back to you’. This achievement testifies that.”
{{/usCountry}}Selvaganesh says the contribution of the band in the fusion music space has been enormous and to be recognised for it on such a global level “feels gratifying”. He adds, “Shakti opened the gates for fusion music, taking Indian sounds to the world. Winning a Grammy is great, but winning it in the Best Global Album category is all that we could have asked for. John ji always says, ‘Give your 100% in whatever you do and 200% would come back to you’. This achievement testifies that.”
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