For Shankar Mahadevan, music is his reason for being, but there’s life beyond the recording studio and the stage. Shankar has no mental blocks even if he’s cooped up in a studio making music for hours together because making music “isn’t an ordeal it gives me a high”.
My day begins by 7 am. I do my riyaaz for an hour and there’s no giving up on that even if I have to go out early. I do some freehand exercises. Breakfast is a leisurely affair, I like hot food: upma, idli or dosa. I am not a cereal or toast person. I also never leave home until I’ve read the major dailies.
I don’t drive if I have recordings. It adds to the tension as I tend to get impatient. I don’t have many recordings today and by lunch time I’ll be free. I won’t have time to go home for lunch, so I’ll order a pizza if I am hungry or go for a South Indian takeaway.
After lunch I have a series of meetings with producers. My partners, Ehsaan and Loy, will join me and we’ll discuss future projects. These days we are selective about the work we do, and the people we work with. Numbers don’t matter to us.
{{/usCountry}}After lunch I have a series of meetings with producers. My partners, Ehsaan and Loy, will join me and we’ll discuss future projects. These days we are selective about the work we do, and the people we work with. Numbers don’t matter to us.
{{/usCountry}}By evening, around 7 pm, I should be home. I am a homebody who prefers to spend his time at home with family. I will help my son with some of his summer homework, read out a story to my younger son who’s three. And if I am in the mood and not too tired I might cook some pasta for dinner. I am a very good cook and I unwind after work by cooking.
After dinner I watch TV. I like watching Discovery, National Geographic or news television. I am not too fond of music television although sometimes some international music videos can be very interesting. By midnight I am ready to call it a day.
— As told to Somashukla Sinha Walunjkar