Shekhar Ravjiani sings his first Marathi single

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… Shekhar Ravjiani (of the musical duo Vishal-Shekhar), has composed his first Marathi single 'Saazni', that's all set to hit the market in a day or two. Shekhar, who is a trained classical singer, has also sung this song.

Talking about the album, Shekhar said, "I had already composed the song and then one day, Ravi Jadhav (who is a National Award winning director of Natrang and Balgandharva) walked into my studio and I asked him to write the song for me, and he agreed. He wrote some beautiful lyrics on the composition."

Speaking about the theme of the song, Shekhar says, "It is a romantic song. I composed it as a romantic song but what Ravi also brought in was a flavour from the farmer's point of view. The song is actually about a boy who hasn't seen this lady love from a very long time and he is missing his girlfriend. The lyrics are such that they also act as a metaphor for the farmer for whom the rains are like his girlfriend. If the rains don't come on time…everything goes for a toss."

When quizzed about why he chose a Marathi song, Shekhar said, "I always wanted to sing a Marathi song because I am extremely fond of Marathi music. A few of my friends are Maharashtrians, because of which, I have heard so much of Marathi music. Besides that, I also heard many different musicians from Maharashtra and I always had this inner feeling of doing a Marathi song and luckily, with 'Saazni', that happened."

Shekhar also wanted to get the perfect Marathi accent while singing the song. "The song was a challenge which I took on myself and I wanted to get the Marathi accent right. I wanted that when people hear it, they should feel that a Marathi singer has sung this song and luckily that is happening. All the people who have heard it, say that it sounds like a Maharashtrian is singing this song. So that's a big compliment" he adds.

The song, which will be available for download on 'www.hungama.com' will have the proceeds going to a NGO called 'Ma Niketan' which works towards the education of the girl child. Speaking about this charitable cause, Shekhar says, "The song has come out so beautifully and naturally, that whatever money that comes from the download of the song will go to an NGO called 'Ma Niketan'. I strongly believe in the cause of girl child education. Still, in the interiors of our country due to poverty and lack of education, people abandon the girl child at a very early age. 'Ma Niketan' takes care of their education, their living, etc. Right now, they have around 350 odd kids in their house. I just hope more girls get educated."

He further adds, "I have heard of so many stories where parents don't send their girl child to school, for reasons like either they can't afford it or they just don't believe in educating the girl child. Also, there are many schools where children don't have proper stationary for studies. So, there is a lot of good work that needs to be done and I am hoping that through my song 'Saazni', I can make a small contribution. I hope that people like the song and download it. I have given my best to the song."

Shekhar will also perform the song on 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' on Zee Marathi. The episode of which will be telecast on May 6.

From being a contestant of 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' to being a judge and now a celebrity guest, life has indeed come a full circle for Shekhar. He says, "It feels good as 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' is a brand which has a lot of respect all across the world. In fact, the first time I went on 'Sa Re Ga Ma' I was not suppose to be a contestant! I was there to just see the singers who were students of Hridaynath Mangeshkar and Suresh Wadkar. Suddenly a friend of mine asked me to audition for it. That was in 1994-95. While I had only 6 months of training, the other boys had 8-10 years of training! But I got selected, and that is how I became a contestant on the show. I went to learn from there and the contestants there taught me a lot. Then of course, I became a judge on the show in 2007 and 2011. I feel great that they have invited me to perform my Marathi single on their show."