Episode 89 - Grammy, Dyslexia, Environment, Pt. Ravishankar, Mysore Pak and much more with Ricky Kej
Ricky Kej is a three-time Grammy Award-winning Indian music composer and environmentalist. Apart from being a professional musician, he is a trained dentist and also serves as the United Nations Refugees "Goodwill Ambassador", UNCCD “Land Ambassador”, UNESCO “Global Ambassador for Kindness”, UNICEF “Celebrity Supporter” & Ambassador for “Earth Day Network. He has composed 16 albums and over 3500 jingles for commercials and has also composed music for four feature films, including the natural history documentary ‘Wild Karnataka’ narrated by Sir David Attenborough. He has done live concerts at venues spread across over 30 countries, including performing at the United Nations headquarters in New York and Geneva. Kej is a self-taught musician but has also taken formal music education and studied Indian classical music. To commemorate the 75th year of Indian Independence, Ricky conducted a 100-piece British orchestra at The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to record India’s National Anthem at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, London, which is the largest orchestra ever to record India's National Anthem and released it on the occasion of Independence Day 2023. In a candid conversation with Smita Prakash, Ricky talks about his childhood,his love for the Indian national anthem and his journey from a dentistry student to a Grammy award winning composer. He also talks about his struggles with Dyslexia during his growing years and how he developed an interest in Indian classical music. He also shares his life-changing experience of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which led to him taking up environmental causes through his music. He also talks about noted music maestro Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar and his love for sweet delicacy Mysore Pak.Link for Quick Take episode on Conjunctivitis - https://youtu.be/gF_HofYxXUcLink for Quick Take episode on Delhi Ordinance Bill - https://youtu.be/wGfu1TMqspM