Shivam Mahadevan, Shashaa Tirupati, and Sid Paul revisit philosopher Bulleh Shah’s words to create Ik raanjha
Shivam Mahadevan, Shashaa Tirupati and Sid Paul
The concept of fusion has always appealed to me. Punjabi folk music is a field I haven’t conquered yet, so this project will make me research on it further, and look forward to more collaborations,” says 22-year-old Shivam Mahadevan of his latest project, Ik raanjha, a melodic take on Bulleh Shah’s poetry that had him join hands with Shashaa Tirupati.
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Shankar Mahadevan’s son may only be taking his initial steps in the industry, but the youngster is attempting to create a diverse body of work for himself before charting his path. His ability to explore a gamut of genres, he says, is a result of the “strong base I created for myself by learning classical music”.
“I’ve grown up listening to Punjabi folk. Shashaa added a contemporary [twist] to Bulleh Shah’s poetry, and, subsequently, we all contributed to it. It is a uniquely simple composition. The hook offers a sense of relief, so, I had the opportunity to add my own harkat [there]. Shashaa gave me freedom to experiment. I think it’s essential that a singer adds his own intricacies to enhance the composition,” says the singer.
Tirupati, 33, who has rendered songs in 13 languages, marks her foray into Punjabi music composition with this offering. Certain that there’s scope to bring Indian music to the forefront using urban tunes, she says, “There’s a growing fascination for what is happening in the west. It is good that we have so many influences, but it is also important for us to remember where we come from. We should not forget our ragas, and the stories of our ancestors. There is a reason they sang something in a particular way, which led to it becoming a Sufi song. [I plan to] show people how rich the south Asian culture is. We chose to amalgamate sounds from the west without taking away from what our music stands for.” The project, she believes, has helped her comprehend how a song’s emotional crux can be accentuated through song-writing. “I’ve understood how important phonetics is. A certain note in a particular place can be crucial to rightly depict a song’s sentiment.”
Her composition was enhanced by producer Sid Paul, who defines his job as “dressing up” the package that Tirupati created. “We initially tried a Hip-Hop vibe, but found that it lacked structure. Our second attempt [that employed] the synth, felt forced. The best part about this collaboration is that everyone came together as actual collaborators. All our inputs were taken care of, and we didn’t compromise on any aspect.”
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