‘Indian Mantras Are Much More Understood’

‘It
feels
great
to
carry
on
this
musical
tradition.’

Chandrika
Tandon
made
history
at
the
67th
Grammy
Awards,


winning
a
Grammy
in
the
Best
New
Age,
Ambient,
or
Chant
Album
category
for
her
groundbreaking
album,

Triveni.

The
award
honored
Tandon’s
exceptional
collaboration
with
Grammy-winning
flutist
Wouter
Kellerman
and
cellist
Eru
Matsumoto
—
a
fusion
of
artistic
mastery
that
has
captivated
global
audiences.

“This
Grammy
win
motivates
me
to
think
even
more
intentionally
about
the
healing
power
of
music
as
I
work
on
the
other
projects
I
have
on
the
way,”
Chandrika,
who
is
also
a
renowned
philanthropist,
tells


Rediff.com
US
Contributing
Correspondent

Abhijit
J
Masih.

How
did
it
feel
to
hear
your
name
announced
as
a
Grammy
winner,
and
what
was
going
through
your
mind
at
that
moment?

It
was
truly
surreal.

After

Triveni
was
announced
as
the
winner,
the
hall
erupted
with
claps
and
shouts.

All
of
us
musicians
really
supported
each
other
with
instant
and
clear
abandon.

I
felt
a
shared
sense
of
a
loving
community.

How
do
you
feel
about
representing
Indian
classical
music
on
a
global
stage
like
the
Grammys?

As
a
global
citizen,
and
as
someone
who
has
never
acknowledged
boundaries,
I
am
thrilled
to
have
such
a
grand
stage
to
showcase
the
music
that
has
brought
me
so
much
joy
and
healing.

The
wonderful
thing
about
where
we
are
now
is
that
Indian
music,
mantras
and
traditions
are
much
more
understood
and
accepted.

It
feels
great
to
carry
on
this
musical
tradition.

Your
red
carpet
appearance
was
stunning!
Can
you
tell
us
about
the
outfit
you
chose
and
what
it
meant
to
you?

This
might
be
the
first
time
anyone
has
ever
asked
me
to
speak
about
my
clothing,
but
this
is
a
great
place
to
start!

My
outfit
at
the
Grammys
was
a
gown
from
Indian
designer
Manish
Malhotra.

I
chose
it
because
it
reflected
the
Indian
tradition
of
weaving
and
the
use
of
vibrant
colour,
which
was
the
mood
I
wanted
to
set
for
myself.

How
do
you
think
winning
a
Grammy
will
impact
your
career
and
the
visibility
of
Indian
classical
music
globally?

I
expect
that
winning
the
Grammy
will
give
more
visibility
to

Triveni
and
also
to
chanting
mantras,
which
is
already
gaining
popularity.

At
a
time
when
the
whole
world
struggles
with
mental
well-being,
if
this
album
can
help
some
people
improve
their
mental
health;
it
will
be
a
worthwhile
endeavor.

This
Grammy
win
motivates
me
to
think
even
more
intentionally
about
the
healing
power
of
music
as
I
work
on
the
other
projects
I
have
on
the
way.

Who
would
you
like
to
thank
or
acknowledge
for
supporting
you
on
this
journey
to
the
Grammys?

There
are
so
many
people
to
thank,
starting
with
all
my
masters
that
shared
their
musical
and
spiritual
gifts
with
me.

I
would
like
to
thank
Wouter
and
Eru,
my
collaborators,
because
their
extraordinary
talents
played
a
big
role
in
making
this
album
what
it
is.

Finally,
thank
you
to
so
many
people
in
the
music
and
Grammy
communities
that
were
so
encouraging
and
supportive
as
we
made
the
album.

Now
that
you’ve
achieved
this
incredible
milestone,
what’s
next
for
you?
Are
there
any
new
projects
or
collaborations
in
the
works?

I
am
currently
working
on
my
next
album,
which
is
called

Soul
Ecstasy.

It
is
a
more
traditional
album
and
is
the

Hare
Rama,
Hare
Krishna
mahamantra
composed
in
8
ragas.

To
me,
the

Hare
Rama,
Hare
Krishna
mahamantra
is
ecstasy.

The
Bhakti
movement
was
built
on
this
mantra,
and
Swami
Srila
Prabhupada’s

Hare
Krishna
movement
was
built
on
this.

I
was
also
recently
appointed
as
artist-in-residence
with
the
Young
People’s
Chorus
of
New
York,
a
world-renowned
multicultural
youth
chorus
composed
of
hundreds
of
New
Yorker
school
children
from
all
walks
of
life.

Together,
we
will
create
very
specific
music
for
young
voices,
to
inspire,
to
heal,
and
to
impart
some
of
the
ancient
wisdom
that
traditions
have
embraced
for
centuries.

Besides
those
projects,
invitations
for
future
collaborations
are
pouring
in,
and
I
am
eagerly
reviewing
them
to
decide
which
will
be
my
next
adventure.

Feature
Presentation:
Ashish
Narsale/Rediff.com