Singer-composer Shekhar Ravjiani has dedicated his interpretation of "Hanuman Chalisa", which happens to be his fourth single, to his late grandmother.
"Hanuman Chalisa has been an integral part of my life. My grandparents instilled these traditional values in me. It was my late grandmother's wish to see me compose a version of the epic prayer. I dedicate it to her," Shekhar told IANS.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan released Shekhar's "Hanuman Chalisa" here Tuesday.
In the past, Shekhar had released two Marathi singles "Saazni" and "Savli" and Telugu single "Butterfly".
He describes his version of the "Hanuman Chalisa" as "soothing" and "meditative".
"This version is more soothing, calm and peaceful. When the song started to sound the way I wanted it to, I decided to do a little more research on Lord Hanuman. I went to a bookstore and started reading. Suddenly, I felt like making my own version of it," he said.
"I got in touch with a publication company called Vedic Cosmos and they were excited to be associated with me on the single," he added.
A successful musician in filmdom, Shekhar doesn't make the singles to taste "success".
"I've been in the industry for over 15 years, composed about 500 songs for over 60 films. But these singles have never been part of them. These are made on a personal level but not for the reason of achieving success. My soul is connected to these singles," he said.
"What matters to me is that people should enjoy the experience of these singles. That's my expectation from them. I feel such songs open the doors for a new set of listeners for me. I feel I challenge myself with such experiments and I like it," he added.
Next in the offering is a book on "Hanuman Chalisa".
"I'm coming up with a book called Shekhar Ravjiani's 'Hanuman Chalisa', which will be available globally. I've also come up with an app for mobile phone users with my song and book," he added.
Shekhar's book will be available in Hindi as well as English.
