Made out of a gourd body, the sitar derives its beautiful resonance, from the aptly placed sympathetic strings and long hollow neck. The versatility of the sitar lies in its complex construction, which has allowed it to be adapted in a variety of genres including Indo-Western fusion music and Indian Film music.

Commonly used in Hindustani music, the sitar is popular in all parts of the Indian sub-continent. The sitar emerged as a result of the Indo-Persian culture during the Mughal rule and has its roots in both the Persian ‘setar’ as well as in the Indian ‘veena.’ Legend attributes the invention of this stringed instrument to the great Indian scholar, poet and musician Amir Khusro. Unlike many fads, which quickly pass, the sitar continues to hold ground, with many recent artists still opting to use sitar music on their tracks. The song became a major hit on its release paving the way for the sitar to become an integral part of the western music scene. The sitar also holds the distinction of uniting Indian music and rock music, when in April 1965, the Yalebirds composed “Heart Full Of Soul”, where sitar sounds were duplicated with an electric guitar. First made popular by Pandit Ravi Shankar and The Beatles, the sitar has since made numerous inroads into popular western music and continues to exhibit a profound influence. The icing on the cake is Sachin Tendulkar who is reciting a few lines of poetry at the top of the song.' (Also Read: Classical Music Not Respected in India, as Abroad: Shankar Mahadevan)Ĭonsidering this is an anthem, it was important perhaps to keep it as simple as possible.Written by Shankar Mahadevan Academy on 03 December 2015 The sitar is without doubt the most well known among Indian musical instruments, especially in the west. People like Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Akriti KAkkar and Udit Narayan are all a part of it. A whole lot of singers are singing along with us. 'We were approached by the Prime Minister's office and thought that a song is usually the best way of spreading awareness considering what you can communicate in a 1000 words can usually be communicated in a song of 3 minutes. And while the extent of its success is still a matter of debate the anthem, he said is an attempt to spread awareness through song. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan is PM Modi's brainchild and has been quite a hit with the people. 'I am really sad to be missing out on this but the tour was planned well in advance,' said Mr Mahadevan in an interview to NDTV.

Shankar Mahadevan is on tour in the US and will miss out on the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Swachata Anthem on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), the man responsible for it will be far away in San Francisco.

Shankar mahadevan usa tour