‘Hope for more fearless English music from India’
Festivals offer a chance to teach kids about compassion, community building, togetherness and unity in diversity as celebrations generate curiosity among children. Like every parent, celebrities, too, try to explain the significance and importance of festivals to their kids.
Actor Shweta Tiwari, mother to four-year-old Reyansh celebrates Janmashtami every year and says, “My mother makes home-made makhan at home and every time she feeds my son, she tells him the story of baby Krishna and how he would climb up to steal makhan from matkis. Reyaansh knows about Krishnaji. So in big and small ways, we are trying teach our kids about the festivals of India.” She adds her son is gets curious about festivals, the rituals and traditions.
Actor Saurabh Raaj Jain, father to four-yearold twins, Hrishivh and Hrishika feels kids learn and understand about festivals through stories. This year, he looks forward to celebrating Janmashtami at home while fasting and later feasting, too. He says, “My mother’s stories about Janmashtami make the kids curious. Through stories, they learn about ancient texts and teachings in the most enjoyable manner.” Actor Karan Patel’s says wife, actor Ankita Bhargava Patel has been teaching their one-year-old daughter Mehr about festivals of India. “This Janmashtami will be about prayers, good food and spending time with family. Right now, for her festivals mean food, clothes, agarbatti and praying with folded hands. I am sure with time she will begin to understand.”
For more Janmashtami stories →p3
After delivering chartbusters like Main Pareshaan (Ishaqzaade; 2012) and Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai (Sultan; 2016), Shalmali took the path less travelled. Today, she is one of the few mainstream singers to have ventured into English music.
But this decision didn’t come easy. “It took me a while to listen to my heart because I was apprehensive that there will be little or no audience for it,” she remarks, adding, “An Indian doing English music does witness a lot of resistance from the immediate circle. I really hope to listen to more fearless English music coming out of India because all said and done, English is one of the two official languages of India.”
With songs like Here Is Beautiful, Just Like A Crush and You Got Me in her kitty, she plans on pushing the horizon to cater to the millennial generation. She says, “It is only when you’re consistent with any kind of work that you can have the audience grow. I went through a lot of talks with myself about setting the right expectations.”
As she looks forward to releasing the second part of her English album, 2X, the singer hopes that pop music garners more listeners. “I can only hope that pop music in India isn’t all about film music. Independent pop music is making a strong comeback and I’m definitely going to be a part of that movement,” she ends.
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