Her Vision Is To Make Songs In Sanskrit Commonplace And Give A Much Needed Boost To Sanskrit Literature-Shubhangi Tewari

By Ojasvi kapoor

Shubhangi Tewari is a singer, vocal coach and voice restorer based in Mumbai, India.She is a well known and talented artists, vocalist, lyricist and co-composer for the Electronic/Experimental music project “Stereo Buddha” and also performs as a solo artist. Shubhangi Tewari has released the music video for her recent  pop song in Sanskrit called “Vasanto Vallabhashrayah” (Spring —Season of Love & Creation)

In an exclusive interview with loudest, She spoke about her music journey and more.Excerpts from the interview:

Q1.In the last 2 years, it’s been a tough time for all of us,So what kept you motivated? The inspiration for my latest track is my dear maternal grandfather Dr. M. D. Pandey. He was a celebrated author, poet, playwright and visionary and has written over 40 books & plays over the years for which he has been felicitated with many honours and awards including Kalidas Puraskar by the UP and Punjab Governments, Balraj Sahni National Award, Uttarakhand Sanskrit Academy Award and the Presidents’ Lifetime Achievement Award. Q2.Tell us about your latest music album,From where you got the idea and who inspired you? I am in the process of composing and releasing some songs written by him. So far, 3 of his Sanskrit songs have been released, the latest one being ‘Vasanto Vallabhashrayah’ (Spring - Season of Love & Creation). This song is about springtime and the magical effect it has on people and all the rest of creation. This song was released on Dr. Pandey's95th birth anniversary on July 25, 2021. The audio track has been released on 200+ digital platforms including Spotify, Gaana, Amazon and Apple Music. The official music video will be released very soon as well. Q3.What were the main highlights of your new album,Which you find different from other music videos? My vision through this project is to make songs in Sanskrit commonplace and give a much needed boost to Sanskrit literature and new creations in this glorious and unparalleled classical language. Contrary to popular belief, Sanskrit as a language is thriving and well. According to some, it is touted as the language of the future, as it is the most logical of languages, most readily accepted by computer algorithms and is being studied and used in schools and universities abroad and in organisations like NASA amongst others. In India too, Sanskrit is spoken universally in the villages of Mattur and Hosahalli in Karnataka and a lot of urban populations are also becoming interested in learning and conversing in Sanskrit. So, there is a sizeable audience for songs in Sanskrit. We just need to connect with the right demographic. Having said that, music really has no language, and it is always heart warming to hear that people have connected to the song even if they do not speak the language. The pandemic has been scary, but I think it has pushed most of us out of our comfort zone and caused us to pick up new skills in order to adapt to the changing landscape of how things are done now. Q4. What challenges do independent artists face in this post pandemic world ? The event industry had come to a virtual halt, creating hardship for all artists and supporting crew. I for one, have relied on my teaching work during the pandemic and also taken to writing and upgrading my skills on music production software. Recently, an opportunity for modelling presented itself, so I did that as well...the key is to be flexible! Speaking of flexible, yoga and meditation have helped immensely in managing stress levels, maintaining fitness, immunity and a helpful, life affirming perspective. I think artists for the most part have adapted to the new normal. As such, artists in general are creative and adaptable souls and the pandemic has pushed their adaptability, perseverance and creativity to the extremes. There has been some support from within the community as well....people helping each other, organisations like the IPRS disbursing some monies. Having said that, the pandemic has just illuminated the fact that there is no real safety net for artists....maybe, in the aftermath of this crisis, we can organise in a manner that at least we are in a position to provide a basic level of security to our community. Q5. Tell us about your upcoming projects? I am working on some songs for upcoming web series. It is quite exciting that things are starting to open up move again and I am looking forward to the releases. https://youtu.be/UPrOMvmC5hs