Our Bureau
Manhasset, NY
To celebrate the memory of his music enthusiast son named Rishi, senior urologist Dr Shashi Shah hosted a musical evening where two new songs from the album Whispers of the Soul, co-produced by him, were released and legendary violinist L. Shankar performed.
Over 125 invited guests were touched by the heartfelt program on the lawn of the Bay-facing house of Dr Shah in Manhasset on September 11, Rishi Shah’s 52nd birthday.
Sharing the backstory of Whispers of the Soul, Dr Shah, a connoisseur of good music himself, said that Grammy winning musician and composer V. Selvaganesh had approached him after a dream last year in which Rishi, his close friend and collaborator, urged him to create music using poetry connected to the Shah family. That is how three ghazals penned by Dr Shah’s brother, the noted poet and author Pramod Shah ‘Nafees’ came to be chosen for the album.
Of the two soulful singles released, Unki Muhabbat, sung by Hindustani music vocalist Anirudh Srinivasraghavan, is a reflective exploration of love, longing, and devotion. Nayi Rasm, performed by Carnatic exponent Jahnavi Murali, envisions a renewed world characterized by acceptance, harmony, and fresh beginning. Anirudh and Jahnavi delighted the audience by melodiously singing the two numbers from the stage.
Selva, who has performed with the famous fusion group Shakti that included L. Shankar and Zakir Hussain, said, “For me, Whispers of the Soul is more than an album. It is a tribute to Rishi and to the extraordinary way his memory brought people, poetry and music together.”
Rishi, who had a passion for music, founded Rave magazine in 2001 in India, aiming to put the country’s vibrant and evolving music scene on the global map, giving emerging artists a powerful platform and connecting audiences around the world.
The program in Rishi’s memory ended amid applause for 76-year-old Shankar, who performed accompanied by percussionists Selvaganesh and his son Swaminathan Selvaganesh.