Grammy Winner Ricky Kej Praises National Anthem As A Unifying Melody

Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej believes playing the national anthem in cinemas is a great idea, as it is a piece of music that evokes a sense of belonging and is free of controversy.

Kej shared this opinion at the announcement of a new rendition of the national anthem, which will be available to audiences worldwide on August 14.

“The national anthem in cinemas is a good idea because, unlike in many countries where it can be controversial, in India, the national anthem is universally respected. The first few notes compel people to stand and show respect. It instills pride and a sense of belonging. It’s a powerful piece of music, and it’s good to be reminded of that,” Kej told reporters. He emphasized that a movie theater is the ideal place to play the national anthem.

“It’s an audience all facing the same screen, alert before the movie starts, with great sound and visuals. It’s the best place to inspire people to remember their duty to their country,” Kej said.

The composer aimed to give a new flavor to the anthem by involving top classical musicians.

“I reached out to these amazing musicians. Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia agreed to join. It was incredible to be in the same room with him. I also got Rakesh Chourasia, who won two Grammy awards this year. We have Rahul Sharma, a virtuoso santoor player; Jayanti Kumaresh, a veena player; Mr. and Mrs. Sheikh Mehboob, leading nadaswaram players; and Giridhar Udupa, one of the greatest ghatam players of our generation.”

In addition to these renowned musicians, the rendition also features nearly 14,000 students from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, helping Kej set a Guinness World Record.

“We won the Guinness World Record for the instrumental version of the national anthem. The students sang in four-part harmonies as a choir,” he said, adding that they transformed a stadium at the institute into a recording studio with over 200 microphones.