India’s famous singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan on Tuesday appreciated the efforts of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for “protecting” India’s culture and tradition and “preserving the ideology of Akhand Bharat”. Yeah, you read it right!
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Mahadevan was present in the annual Vijayadashami Utsav event organized by the RSS in the Reshimbagh area of Nagpur when he shared these thoughts. Mahadevan also served as the chief guest of the event and mentioned that he can only take blessings from the Sangh for their contribution to the country.
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Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat was also present with singer Shankar Mahadevan and others during the RSS ‘Vijayadashami Utsav’, in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
“What can I say on it? I can only salute you. The contribution of the RSS is greater than anyone in preserving our ideology of ‘Akhand Bharat,’ our traditions, our culture,” Mahadevan said.
He started his speech by singing Saraswati Vandana, a prayer to Goddess Saraswati who is called as the goddess of knowledge. He chanted the prayer ‘Om Asatoma Sadgamaya’ and said that the mantra is for promoting world peace.
The 56-year-old singer-composer added, “Praying for every human being’s peace. This is what our country is”. He recollected his meet with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Mumbai and thanked him to invite for this event.
“I am fortunate. The invitation was personal, served with a lot of warmth,” he said.
Mahadevan also paid a visit to the Hedgewar Smruti Mandir, the memorial of RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar in Nagpur, and admired the Sangh’s Dussehra program and the team behind the program execution.
“I am more proud of being a Bharatiya Nagrik (Indian citizen) today,” he said.
Born on 3rd March 1967, Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian singer and composer who is a part of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy group. They are known for writing music for Indian films. In 2023, he was given an honorary doctorate (honoris causa degree) by Birmingham City University.
Mahadevan was born in Chembur in a Palakkad Iyer family. He learned music in Hindustani classical and Carnatic music since his childhood. He played the veena at the age of five under Shri Lalitha Venkataraman.
He graduated in Computer Science and Software Engineering in 1988 from a college in Navi Mumbai. After that, he also worked as a software engineer at Leading Edge Systems (now Trigyn Technologies Limited) for a brief period. However, Mahadevan decided that his true calling is a full-fledged career in music and that’s why he pursued his passion by quitting his corporate job.
Mahadevan has two sons Siddharth Mahadevan and Shivam Mahadevan, both of whom are singers.
Apart from writing, composing, and singing in Indian films, Mahadevan is also known for his work as a judge in singing competitions organized by television channels like Colors, Zee TV, and others. He also runs his own music academy Shankar Mahadevan Academy which provides music courses online and offline for beginners as well as experts to become trainers in their music field.
