Sounds of Kumbha
As Sounds of Kumbha earns a GRAMMY nomination in the Best Global Music Album category at the 68th GRAMMY Awards 2026, Indian music finds itself at a powerful cultural inflection point. One of the key creative forces behind this ambitious project is composer & producer Raghav Mehta, whose work spans cinema, advertising, and global collaborations. In this conversation, Mehta reflects on the significance of the nomination, the making of Sounds of Kumbha, and what this moment means for India's evolving musical identity on the world stage.
Q&A
1. What was your immediate reaction when you learned that Sounds of Kumbha had received a GRAMMY nomination?
Raghav Mehta:
It felt surreal, but also deeply grounding. This project was never about chasing awards; it was about honouring a living cultural phenomenon. The nomination felt less like personal validation and more like global recognition of India's spiritual and sonic heritage.
2. Sounds of Kumbha is rooted in one of humanity's largest gatherings. What drew you personally to this project?
Raghav Mehta:
The Mahakumbha isn't just an event, it's an energy field. The idea of capturing that through sound through field recordings, chants, and contemporary arrangements felt like translating something ancient into a language the world could listen to today. The collaboration began when Sidhant Bhatia reached out, Having worked together on numerous projects over the years, there was already a foundation of trust and creative alignment. From the outset, this was a conversation driven by a common intent to explore the Kumbh as a sonic and spiritual experience.
3. How did you approach balancing tradition with modern global sound design?
Raghav Mehta:
With restraint and respect. The intention was never to modernise for effect, but to let ancient elements coexist naturally with contemporary music production. There were no genre boundaries imposed on the album; it moves fluidly across multiple musical forms and traditions. The challenge, especially from a music producer's standpoint, was ensuring that despite this diversity, every piece carried the same underlying soul and intent. Binaural soundscapes and global arrangements were used to deepen immersion, not override authenticity. The process demanded listening more than imposing, allowing the source material to lead while holding the album together as a cohesive spiritual experience.
4. The album features over fifty global artists. What was the collaborative process like?
Raghav Mehta:
It was humbling. Artists from different cultures brought their own spiritual and musical vocabularies. My role was to create coherence without imposing hierarchy, allowing the music to remain plural, fluid, and honest. The scale of collaboration reflected the Kumbh itself, diverse, collective, and unified by intent. As the album evolved, esteemed producers such as Jim Kimo West, Ron Korb, Charu Suri, Devraj Sanyal, and Madi Das brought their own musical sensibilities into the process, further shaping the work through layered perspectives. The album features over 50 amazing artists and their contributions expanded the album's sonic language while remaining true to its collective, non-hierarchical spirit.
5. Many describe the album as a form of cultural diplomacy. Do you see it that way?
Raghav Mehta:
Absolutely. Music travels where language and policy often can't. If this album allows someone in another part of the world to feel the spirit of the Kumbh, even for a moment, that's meaningful diplomacy. It's about shared human experience rather than explanation.
6. How does this GRAMMY moment impact your journey as a composer-producer?
Raghav Mehta:
It reinforces the belief that stories rooted in culture can be globally relevant. My journey as a musician has spanned over a decade composing original singles, producing songs for mainstream films, contributing to larger film scores, and leading large-scale collaborative projects. Alongside this, I've worked extensively in advertising, creating music for major brands where storytelling has to be immediate, emotionally precise, and widely resonant. This recognition gives me renewed confidence to continue building work that is sincere, research-driven, and culturally grounded, whether it's a film composition, a commercial soundtrack, or an independent original release.
7. What does this recognition mean for Indian music on a global platform?
Raghav Mehta:
It signals readiness both from Indian creators and global audiences. There's a growing appetite for work that doesn't dilute its roots to travel internationally. Indian music today is not asking for permission; it's participating as an equal voice in global cultural conversations.
Conclusion
As Sounds of Kumbha resonates beyond borders, Raghav Mehta's reflections underline a quiet yet decisive shift, where Indian music, anchored in heritage and shaped by modern craft, is finding its place on the world stage. With future prospects spanning new collaborations, original singles and commercial songs, and long-form compositions that continue to bridge culture and contemporary sound, the GRAMMY nomination marks not just a milestone, but a moment of arrival and a foundation for what comes next.
https://youtu.be/kY5CQVdT710?si=-_FRLeby9D2hSRC9
