02 August,2026 07:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Junisha Dama
Ishaan Ghosh
In Sacred Light - an independent song, to be released on August 7 - Shankar Mahadevan's voice hangs over a bed of cinematic strings before the tabla comes in. This song is neither a classical recital nor a devotional recording in the traditional sense. Rather, it feels closer to a conversation across generations.
Ancient verses in Sanskrit meet contemporary production, the grammar of Indian classical music sits alongside orchestral soundscapes, and at the centre of it is the bond between a guru and a disciple.
Intentionally released around Guru Purnima, Sacred Light is Mahadevan's collaboration with seventh-generation tabla virtuoso Ishaan Ghosh. Their reinterpretation of Adi Shankaracharya's Guru Ashtakam arrives at a time when a growing number of young Indian musicians are rethinking how classical music is presented.
Ghosh and Mahadevan have chosen not to alter tradition, but instead reframe it for audiences whose first encounter with music is as likely to come while scrolling on a social networking app or through a streaming playlist.
For Ghosh, the project grew from a deeply personal place. Having trained under his father and guru, Pandit Nayan Ghosh, he wanted to create something that honoured the Guru-Shishya Parampara while speaking a language younger listeners instinctively understand.
"My vision while creating original music has always been to present Indian classical music in a way that resonates with my generation," he says. "The idea wasn't to modernise tradition for the sake of it, but to present it in a way that feels accessible without compromising its authenticity."
That distinction is becoming increasingly important. Over the past decade, Indian classical music has steadily expanded beyond the sabha. Young artistes have embraced collaborations with jazz, electronic and world music, while festivals and digital platforms have introduced ragas and talas to audiences that may never have attended an all-night concert.
Internationally, musicians such as Anoushka Shankar have long demonstrated that tradition and experimentation can comfortably coexist. Closer home and more recently, independent musician Ben Parag's latest number, Gujariya, blends Indian classical and pop, proving that classical music can evolve without entirely surrendering its identity.
Ghosh belongs to the younger generation, but his experiments begin with discipline rather than disruption.
"Preserving the sanctity of the Guru Ashtakam was the most important aspect of this project," he tells us. "We retained the Sanskrit chant in its entirety. The reinterpretation came through everything around it, the orchestration, the rhythmic ideas and the sonic textures."
The other revolution in Sacred Light lies in its rhythm. While the tabla has traditionally occupied the role of accompaniment, Ghosh has spent much of his career attempting to move it into the spotlight.
"The tabla is far more than a percussion instrument," he says. "It's one of the most complete musical instruments in the world. My journey is about showcasing that versatility and introducing new audiences to its immense expressive potential."
That vision was what drew Mahadevan to the project almost immediately. "What attracted me immediately was the honesty of the composition," says Mahadevan. "The soundscape is contemporary and has a very international feel, but the soul of the Guru Ashtakam remains completely untouched. That balance is very difficult to achieve."
Mahadevan has spent decades moving effortlessly between Carnatic music, Hindi cinema, devotional recordings and global collaborations. Few musicians understand the line between accessibility and dilution as he does. "The foundation should never change. Innovation should happen around that foundation, not at the cost of it," he says.
That philosophy also extends to mentorship itself. In an era where tutorials, performances and masterclasses are only a click away, Mahadevan believes technology can offer knowledge but not wisdom. "You can learn compositions and techniques online. But a Guru teaches you discipline, humility, patience and the way to think as an artiste. Music is not just about learning notes; it is about learning life." Perhaps that explains why Sacred Light doesn't feel like crossover or fusion music.
During the recording, performance took a back seat to something more introspective. "I wasn't thinking about performance at all," Mahadevan recalls. "I was simply immersed in the meaning of the verses. You stop trying to impress anyone. You simply become a medium through which the music flows." For Ghosh, whose family traces seven generations of musicians, the recording also became a tribute to his lineage.
At a time when conversations around preserving Indian classical music often swing between rigid traditionalism and restless experimentation, Sacred Light shows how a Sanskrit hymn written centuries ago can still feel current.
