'It is all about devotion'

When one downloads and listens his new single, it is difficult to overlook a distinct similarity between the Hanuman Chalisa that Shekhar Ravjiani has recently sung and the popular chartbuster Tu Aashiqui from the film Jhankaar Beats. The uncanny resemblance of soothing notes that both of these have ,prompt Metrolife to quiz Ravjiani about his ‘spirituality’.

“There is an artiste inside me which needs to connect back to its soul,” says Ravjiani on his choice of singing the devotional single. Having been introduced to the religious book by his “grandmother”, Ravjiani lost his touch with the calm that spirituality provides in our exasperating lives.

“As a child, I grew up in a house where traditional values played a very important role. Hanuman Chalisa used to be recited by my grandmother and I used to go the temples regularly. In fact, to find the calm, I still go to not just temple but even to gurdwara, mosque and church,” he says explaining about his craving to find “peace of mind.”

“There is peace of mind even in the Bollywood music that I have been creating since the last 15 years with Vishal. But this peace of mind is connected to the values that my grandparents and parents passed on to me,” he says humming the new single making it difficult to believe that he is the same person who was behind catchy chartbusters such as Chammak Challo from Ra.One and
romantic melodies like Zehnaseeb from Hasee Toh Phasee.

The playback singer-music director is quick to remark that, “It is all about devotion. Be it devotion to God or to someone you love. Whenever you do something, as long as you have faith and emotion, you don’t have to worry what impact it will create on your listeners. I always say, ‘Nothing is mine’ because it is for the listeners to experience and enjoy the music. For me, at the end of the say, it is all about doing anything that gives me joy.”

It is this creative satisfaction that the crooner is thoroughly enjoying since “last two-and-a-half years. It was during this time that I found the old me.

It helped me to feel alive again,” says Ravjiani who has sung three singles Saazni and Saavli in Marathi and Butterfly in Telugu. And Hanuman Chalisa is his fourth single.

So, is he happy diverting his attention from the Bollywood music?

“This is my own independent space. I enjoy, along with other things that I do with Vishal (Dadlani, his music partner), this parallel world of singles that has its own magic and charm. This music is very powerful and has a tremendous effect on me,” he explains adding, “Listeners in India will listen to anything that is good. I have no complaints from my listeners.”

“Instead I am grateful to them for having accepted my non-film music as much as my film music,” he sums up, while we look forward to his upcoming projects - Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Happy New Year and Hrithik Roshan-starrer Bang Bang!