Page 30 - Seniorstoday October 2022 Issue

singer Monica Ryan, arranger Keerthy Tellefsen and the Global Symphony. On
Narayanan, producers Mia Moravis and
Siddhant Bhatia, flautist Pravin Godkhindi,
mandolin player U. Rajesh and spoken word
performer Gregg Braden among others,
the album released by Resensitize Records
contains 11 meditative tracks.
In a similar vein, but not using Indian
chants, sarod players Amaan Ali Bangash
and his brother Ayaan have teamed up
with producer Kabir Sehgal on Sand And
Foam, inspired by the works of Lebanese-
American writer Khalil Gibran. As the
album “aims to take listeners on a musical
voyage, while exploring narratives of
identity, belonging and self-discovery” it
belongs to the broader genre of positively-
inspiring music. The same is the case of
Mantram, an album by sarod legend Ustad
Ali Akbar Khan’s son Alam Khan, who
uses mantras on loop or as seed phrases.
The sound, however, is very new age and
contemporary. There’s also the album
Timeless, in which German singer Deva
Premal and British musician Miten have
been inspired by mantras.
Among singles, there have been two
releases of the famous ‘Algiri Nandini
Strotram’. Singer Kavita Krishnamurthy
has released the video of an earlier live
performance composed by violinist L.
Subramaniam and featuring violinist Arve
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the traditional front, there is a fantastic
rendition by 10-year-old Nivedita
Padmanabhan, with Narayan Mani
on veena. Also using chants is ‘Global
Primordial Beat’ by American musician Jai
Uttal, known for his east-west fusion based
on Indian mantras and kirtans.
CLEARLY, the field of meditative and
chant-based music is very large. According
to a study conducted by the University of
Nevada, Reno, “Native American, Celtic
and Indian stringed instruments, drums
and flutes are very effective at relaxing the
mind even when played loud”. The study
says that sounds of rain, birds and nature
are also relaxing, besides light jazz, easy
listening and certain slow-paced movements
in western classical music.
In India, certain instruments have been
promoted to help stress management.
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma’s santoor has
been a favourite, and thematic albums
like Upanishad Amrit, Antardhwani and
Mountain Breeze are recommended, though
one can listen to any raag played by him
to feel serenity. His son Rahul Sharma as
released the albums Zen and The Yogi in
a similar space. Bansuri maestro Pandit
Hariprasad Chaurasia has played on albums
like Music Therapy For Motivation And
Rejuvenation and Dhammapada, based
on the teachings of Buddha. His nephew
Rakesh Chaurasia has released Jal Shanti