Grammys 2024: Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Zakir Hussain's band Shakti gets Best Music Album
New Delhi, Feb 5: Shakti, a fusion music group comprising tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and singer Shankar Mahadevan, has won the 2024 Grammy Award for best global music album for 'This Moment'.
The album features founding member, guitarist John McLaughlin alongside Hussain, Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram.
Shakti's 'This Moment', the group's first studio album in more than 45 years, was released to critical acclaim in June 2023.
The Recording Academy, which conducts the Grammy Awards, made the announcement on its X page.
"Congrats Best Global Music Album winner - 'This Moment' Shakti. #GRAMMYs," the post read.
Mahadevan, who took the stage alongside Rajagopalan and Selvaganesh, gave a shout-out to McLaughlin and Hussain. While McLaughlin gave the ceremony a miss, Hussain was backstage as he had won another Grammy.
"We miss you John ji. Zakir Hussain, he just had another Grammy today. Thank you boys, God, family, friends and India. We are proud of you, India," said Mahadevan in the speech, dedicating the win to his wife Sangeeta.
Rajagopalan thanked the Recording Academy for the recognition.
Hussain won two more Grammys at the event: one for best global music performance for 'Pashto' and the other for best contemporary instrumental album for 'As We Speak' alongside American banjo player Bela Fleck and American bassist Edgar Meyer, featuring Indian flute player Rakesh Chaurasia, nephew of legendary flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Two-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej, who attended the awards ceremony, called 2024 the year of India at the Grammys.
"Wowwww.. this is truly India's year at the Grammys!!! Wowww.. Rakesh Chaurasia, Shankar Mahadevan, Ganesh Rajagopalan, Selvaganesh Vinayakram and Ustad Zakhir Hussain.. India is truly shining!! Thrilled!!!! 5 Indians win in a single year :-) #GRAMMYs #GRAMMYs2024," he wrote.
In a separate post, Kej hailed triple wins for Hussain and double feat for Chaurasia.
".. and Ustad Zakhir Hussain, the living legend, creates history by winning 3 Grammys in one night!!! Rakesh Chaurasia wins 2!! This is a great year for India at the Grammys.. and I am blessed to witness it. @RecordingAcad #indiawinsatgrammys," he added.
McLaughlin, a British guitarist, formed Shakti in 1973 with Hussain, Indian violin player L Shankar, and percussionist T H 'Vikku' Vinayakram (father of Selvaganesh Vinayakram). Along with mridangam player Ramnad V Raghavan, the band released their first album 'Shakti with John Mclaughlin' in 1975. Billed as an "unprecedented transcontinental collaboration", Shakti unites Eastern and Western musicians, and in the process forged the template for what is now called world music, according to the group's official website.
"Their dynamic musical hybrid immediately enthralled audiences around the globe – and inspired generations of musicians, artists, and thinkers from all walks of life to embark on their own cross-cultural odysseys." The 2024 Grammy Awards were held on late Sunday night at Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena.
Congrats Best Global Music Album winner - 'This Moment' Shakti. #GRAMMYs 🎶
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 4, 2024
WATCH NOW https://t.co/OuKk34kvdu pic.twitter.com/N7vXftfaDy
.... and Ustad Zakhir Hussain, the living legend creates history by winning 3 Grammys in one night!!! Rakesh Chaurasia wins 2!! This is a great year for India at the Grammys.. and I am blessed to witness it. @RecordingAcad #indiawinsatgrammys
— Ricky Kej (@rickykej) February 5, 2024
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Campaigning for second phase of 14 LS seats ends in Karnataka
Bengaluru, May 5: The campaigning for the second phase of polling in 14 Lok Sabha segments in Congress-ruled Karnataka ended on Sunday, with the "Hassan sex scandal" wading into the narrative in no small measure.
Tuesday's elections (May 7) matter the most for the BJP as it had bagged all those 14 seats in the 2019 polls.
Karnataka has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The first phase of elections for 14 segments was held on April 26.
Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have targeted the BJP over the alleged sex scandal involving Hassan JD(S) MP, Prajwal Revanna, in campaign rallies.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prajwal Revanna had raped 400 women, and lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for seeking votes for a "mass rapist" and sought his apology.
ALSO READ: I have no involvement in case filed against Dingaleshwar Swamiji: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi
Prajwal, grandson of former prime minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda, is facing allegations of sexually abusing women. The state government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the charges.
Prajwal Revanna was the JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate from Hassan seat which went to polls on April 26.
The JD(S) joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year.
The BJP, on the other hand, has attacked the government for alleged failure to "contain anti-national activities", and incidents of 'Love Jihad' and 'appeasement politics'.
The party leaders repeatedly referred to the bomb blast at a cafe here on March 1, the murder of 23-year-old Neha Hiremath on a college campus in Hubballi by Fayaz Khondunaik on April 18 and the raising of pro-Pakistan slogans in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha on February 27.
Speaking to reporters in the district headquarters town of Belagavi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said, "In the first phase, we will win about eight to nine seats. In the second phase, we will win in 10 constituencies."
The Congress is also banking heavily on the state government's guarantee schemes and remains optimistic that they will pay the party electoral dividends.
Among the candidates in the fray for the May 7 polls is Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, who is seeking a fifth straight term from Dharwad.
There will be a by-poll to the Shorapur assembly constituency in Yadgir district on May 7 following the death of Congress MLA Raja Venkatappa Naik in February this year.
The 14 segments going to polls on Tuesday are: Belgaum (Belagavi), Uttara Kannada, Chikkodi, Bagalkot (Bagalkote), Bidar, Haveri, Dharwad, Koppal, Bellari (Ballari), Raichur, Bijapur (Vijayapura), Davangere and Shimoga (Shivamogga) and Gulbarga (Kalaburagi).
According to the Election Commission, 227 candidates are in the fray. The BJP and the Congress have fielded 14 candidates each while the Bahujan Samaj Party is trying its luck in nine seats. There are 117 independents. Also, 73 people are fighting the election from registered unrecognised parties.
The 14 constituencies have 2.59 crore voters, the EC said, adding, there are a total of 28,257 main polling stations.
Among the BJP contestants are: former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai (Haveri) and Jagadish Shettar (Belgaum), former Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri (Uttara Kannada) and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra (Shimoga).
Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani is contesting from Gulbarga.
The Congress has fielded Minister Eshwar Khandre's son Sagar Khandre (Bidar), Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar's son Mrinal Hebbalkar (Belgaum), Minister Satish Jarkiholi's daughter Priyanka Jarkiholi (Chikkodi), Minister Shivanand Patil's daughter Samyukta Patil (Bagalkot) and Geetha Shivarajkumar, who is wife of Kannada film actor Shivarajkumar and daughter of former Chief Minister late S Bangarappa (Shimoga).
As Congress has fielded Karnataka Minister for Mines and Geology S S Mallikarjun's wife Prabha Mallikarjun from Davangere, the BJP gave ticket to Gayathri Siddeshwara, who is wife of MP G M Siddeshwara.
The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements to increase voter turnout amid the soaring temperatures in the 14 constituencies.
From arranging shamianas and tents, additional fans and drinking water facilities, to keeping ambulances on standby and using adjacent rooms of the polling booth as waiting areas, the Election Commission is making efforts to ensure that the polling percentage is not affected due to the "harsh summer".
In this first phase, Karnataka recorded 69.56 per cent voter turnout.
Speaking to PTI, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena said the constituencies where polling will take place on May 7 are in North Karnataka region and the temperature is slightly high there, "so we have made all necessary arrangements to ensure that people aren't deterred from coming out of their homes to vote."
