Back in 2018, I had the good fortune of witnessing the magic of arguably the greatest percussionist of our time, Trilok Gurtu, at the Royal Opera House, Mumbai. The same event was graced by Padma Bhushan T.H. Vikku Vinayakram and his son V. Selvaganesh. Vikku Vinayakram is also known as the God of Ghatam, an earthen pot which he uses to play Carnatic music, and he is also credited with popularising Ghatam amongst the global audiences.
I also saw Taufiq Qureshi, the younger brother of Zakir Hussain, sitting in the front row. After the event, I had the good fortune of shaking hands with V. Selvaganesh and seeking blessings from Vikku Vinayakram Ji, and also having a word with Taufiq Qureshi, who is one of the best djembe players in the country. As someone who is also interested in percussion instruments, it was the closest I experienced to the divinity of music.
When I read the news of Shakti band winning the Grammy award, apart from being utmost delighted, it took me back to the event when I had the good fortune of witnessing these legends live. Shakti is a fusion band formed by English guitarist John McLaughlin, Indian violin player L. Shankar, and percussionists Zakir Hussain (on tabla) and T. H. “Vikku” Vinayakram (on Ghatam) in 1973. Initially known as “Turiyananda Sangit” (translating to “The pinnacle delight in music” in English), the band specialized in acoustic fusion music, blending Indian classical music with jazz elements. The name “Shakti” signifies “creative intelligence, beauty, and power”.
Beyond integrating American and Indian musical styles, Shakti embodied a fusion of the Hindustani and Carnatic music traditions, given Hussain’s roots in the northern region of India and the other Indian members hailing from the South. The group came together in 1973 and toured fairly extensively during the period 1975-77. After that the band took a decades-long hiatus with the maestros independently pursuing music. In 1997, John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain put together another band with the same concept, called Remember Shakti, including V. Selvaganesh, mandolin player U. Shrinivas and eventually Shankar Mahadevan.
Now, to every music lover’s delight, the original Shakti came together to create magic once again, which resulted in their first album as Shakti in 46 years, This Moment, on 23 June 2023. This is the album that proved itself to be worth the wait and made India proud at the Grammys.
The band Shakti not only symbolizes the pinnacle of music prowess, it is also an unprecedented collaboration between the east and the west, it goes on to show that music is a language beyond borders and, as Zakir Hussain succinctly put it in his Grammy speech, “without harmony, without music, we are nothing.”
From his youth, John McLaughlin held a deep fascination with Eastern musical traditions. During the 1970s, McLaughlin led the Mahavishnu Orchestra, an electric band comprising violinist Jerry Goodman, keyboardist Jan Hammer, bassist Rick Laird, and drummer Billy Cobham. Together, they delivered a technically intricate and complex musical style, blending electric jazz and rock with Eastern and Indian elements. This ensemble played a pivotal role in shaping fusion as an emerging genre. McLaughlin’s performances during this period were characterized by rapid solos and the incorporation of non-western musical scales.
Zakir Hussain is the son of the legendary Tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha, and can be called the greatest Tabla player of all time. He is also seeped into Indic spirituality, once commenting that when he was handed to his father as a newborn baby, he started saying rhythm syllables into his ear instead of the Adhaan, as is the custom. When his mother insisted that you have to say the prayer, his father said that the rhythm syllables are his prayer and that is how he connects to the divine. Ustad Zakir Hussain also commented once that, even though he comes from a Muslim family, he has deep reverence for Maa Saraswati, Goddess of Knowledge and Lord Ganesha, the God of Rhythm. This shows his and his family’s deep connections to their civilizational roots and their spiritual conquest through music.
Vikku Vinayakram is the pioneer of Ghatam, coming from South India and bringing with him the rich experience and knowledge of Carnatic music. He is also the principal of Sri Jaya Ganesh Tala Vadya Vidyalaya in Chennai, India – the academy established by his late father and teacher in 1958. It continues to produce new stars of Carnatic percussion. He was first nominated for the 1996 Grammy Awards for Best World Music Album for his participation in ‘Raga Aberi’ along with L. Shankar on the ten string double violin and Zakir Hussain on the table.
The band Shakti is also phenomenal as it not only brings together the east and west, but it also includes elements from both Hindustani and Carnatic, the two leading schools of music in India.
The Grammy award won by Shakti was not the only Grammy India won on that eventful night. Zakir Hussain also won the Grammy for the Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, totaling his wins for the night to three. He now has five of these awards in all, equalling the tallies of the late sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and the master conductor Zubin Mehta; they are all in top spot, incidentally, on the list of Indians with the most Grammy wins. PM Modi also congratulated the artists saying: “Your exceptional talent and dedication to music have won hearts worldwide. India is proud! These achievements are a testament to the hard work you keep putting in. It will also inspire the new generation of artists to dream big and excel in music.”
Another beautiful example of east and the west coming together was when the celebrated Beatles guitarist George Harrison came to India and met Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. George Harrison was initially introduced to Shankar’s music by American singers Roger McGuinn and David Crosby, both avid fans of Shankar. This introduction left a significant impression on Harrison, influencing him deeply. He subsequently played a pivotal role in popularizing Shankar and the incorporation of Indian instruments into pop music during the 1960s. Olivia Harrison, his wife, elaborated on George’s reaction: “When George heard Indian music, that really was the trigger, it was like a bell that went off in his head. It not only awakened a desire to hear more music, but also to understand what was going on in Indian philosophy. It was a unique diversion”.
The connection between music, Indian philosophy, and spirituality is deeply intertwined, reflecting a holistic understanding of existence and the human experience. In Indian philosophy, particularly in traditions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sufism, music is regarded as a potent medium for spiritual exploration and transcendence. Ranging from devotional chants and hymns to intricate classical compositions, music serves as a conduit for expressing and experiencing the divine. Ragas, melodic frameworks in Indian classical music, are believed to evoke specific emotions and states of consciousness, aligning with the concept of rasa, or aesthetic mood, and mirroring the cyclical nature of existence.
Moreover, the practice of Nada Yoga, the yoga of sound, emphasises the transformative power of sound vibrations in purifying the mind and awakening spiritual awareness. Bhakti, the path of devotion, emphasizes the use of music and devotional singing (kirtan) as a means to cultivate love and devotion towards the divine. Similarly, Sufi music, characterized by ecstatic melodies and poetic lyrics, serves as a vehicle for seekers to experience union with the divine through ecstatic states of trance (dhikr). Overall, the connection between music, Indian philosophy, and spirituality underscores the belief in the inherent unity of all existence and the potential of music to facilitate profound spiritual experiences and inner transformation.
The writer takes special interest in history, culture and geopolitics. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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