The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown confined people to their homes, giving them time to pause, reflect, and get back to basics. While life slowed down, the creativity curve peaked, and some of them even had their own brands take off. One among them is singer, composer, and music director Shekhar Ravjiani, of the popular music duo Vishal-Shekhar, who was dedicated to writing a song a day.
The musician wanted to celebrate and make music the way he used to when he was 16 years old. He says, “It was like a practice. As the saying goes, the more you sketch or paint, the better you get at it. I decided to do my own sketching and painting with my own colours. As a result, the record label Garuudaa Musiic came to life. Here, I started painting and presenting it to the world for the past two years.”
Art, a part of heart
The music label is a non-film independent record label that has launched 28 songs to date. The latest single, Paiyya Paiyya, is a Tamil love song released a month ago. The song’s lyricist is well-known poet Karthik Netha. Having written this song from his love life, he says, “The song captures a woman’s longing for her love. This feeling is something women in love across all age groups can relate to. And Aarathana, through her voice, beautifully portrays the emotion.”
Aarathana Senthilraja, a 17-year-old, made her musical debut with this song. She says, “Since childhood, I have been interested in music. My singing abilities come from my father. I learnt from him. He wanted to become a professional singer, but he couldn’t. This opportunity from Shekhar Ravjiani sir helped me achieve my father’s dream.”
A Tamil native in Singapore, Aarathana joined the Global Indian International School (GIIS) - Sheykhar Ravjiani School of Music to learn music. “This school has given me a platform to live my dreams. I aspire to become a professional singer, and I think that with this song’s release, that is where I am headed for now. So, I need to work harder and give my hundred per cent to all the songs I sing henceforth,” she adds.
In an exclusive interview with CE, Shekhar shares insights into the motive of his music school, the future of independent music and his inspirations from Chennai’s music industry.
Nurturing young talents
In collaboration with the Global Schools group, Shekhar founded the Global Indian International School (GIIS) - Sheykhar Ravjiani School of Music in seven countries to create superstars and shape the future of music. “The idea and vision behind starting a school was to instill practical knowledge in these kids. It’s not about learning Sa Re Ga Ma. That’s important to start with. But we want to make music light, fun and a happy process for a child,” explains Shekhar.
To make music easier for today’s kids, the school offers workshop-based learning. “Globally releasing music under my label is a workshop. The experience of being inside a studio, standing behind the microphone and hearing your voice while singing is learning. This is a part of our curriculum,” adds Shekhar.
Paiyya Paiyya is also a result of one such workshop that groomed Aarathana. During Shekhar’s Singapore concert in October 2024, he visited Aarathana and jammed with her at his studio. At this session, an impromptu decision was made to curate a song. Shekhar got in touch with a Nadaswaram player to bring in the authenticity of Tamil music, lyricist Karthik Netha, programmer Abhijit Nalani, and music mixer Balu Thankachan to bring the song to life in two days. The visuals from the song’s video release are part of the jamming session and a workshop — for Aarathana — filled with learning.
Since he noticed that Aarathana’s comfort lies in the Tamil language, he chose the same for his music production. He says, “There is a sweetness to the Tamil language. There is also a nice groove inherent in the language, which makes it very interesting for a composer to play with the words and make a tune. So that’s why I chose the language.”
Celebrating independent music
Moreover, the musician wanted to release a song in this language to honour a legend. He adds, “This song is actually a tribute to Raja sir in my head. His strength lies in his tunes and modern orchestration. Every musician in the country looks up to him and is inspired.” Shekhar also adds that he always takes back some learning from his visits to the city. “I love the inclusivity of Chennai’s culture. I love the way musicians come together as a team. I always see everyone united beautifully, and that is why great music comes out of here.”
Having spent 40 days at a stretch in the city for song recordings, Shekhar has travelled across and was quick to understand the various genres of music that are played and sung. At every hundred kilometers, he found the music, rhythm, culture, and craze change. “ The audience connects strongly to independent music. They have opened their arms to new singers and composers. They want to hear something new and fresh. This makes me very happy because only humans can do this. In the times of AI, replicating someone else’s voice onto another song or taking a past voice and using it has become common. But AI doesn’t have a heart that beats. AI hasn’t seen pain. These emotions are poured into making music,” he explains.
Reaching out to youngsters with his music and initiatives, Shekhar tells everyone to fall in love with their craft for magic to happen. Students like Aarathana are an example of that magic. She had her parents' support. Hema Rani, CEO of Thenandal Studio Limited and an alumni of GIIS, suggests, “Children and parents should not run behind scores. It doesn’t matter what they score because today, we live in a liberated world. We don’t end up as what we study. If that’s the case, we wouldn’t have so many engineers as film directors and in cinema. Education is good. It helps you get experience, intelligence, and money, but interests are different, and what you become in life is different.”