Shankar Mahadevan infused a lingering musical energy to ‘Shakti’, propelled it to Cloud 9

Fusion group Shakti waded into the hitherto unknown territory of Grammy for Indian musicians by bagging the Best Musical Album for 'This Moment,' at the function held on Monday. Shankar Mahadevan, Zakir Hussian, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram are the members of this band founded by British guitarist John McLaughlin. This Moment, which hit the musical charts last June, wowed audiences as well as the jury of Grammy Awards with its unique rendition and technical excellence.

Shakti, which focuses on the fusion of Indian music with Western peers, has been active in the musical arena since 2020. But few know its roots date back almost five decades. John McLaughlin started the band along with Zakir Hussain, T H Vishnu, and L Shankar in 1973.

It was initially known as Turiyananda Sangit. However, it could not gather momentum after its initial flourish and wound up in 1977. Two decades later, in 1997, members initiated efforts to revive the band again. But that attempt also failed to make a genuine connect with fans.

But Shankar Mahadevan’s grand entry infused fresh life into the band in 2020 and made it a roaring success. It has also catapulted desi musicians to the mystical Cloud 9 of the global musical arena.