Every year, ace composer-producers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant’s Bhoomi brings together voices, traditions and sounds that celebrate the depth and richness of Indian music. Now in its sixth season, Bhoomi introduces its second release, Shringaar, a classical pop song featuring Shankar Mahadevan. What makes this track special is that, for the first time, these maestros have come together for Bhoomi, offering a heartfelt homage to their mentor, the late Ustad Zakir Hussain Sahab.
Shringaar beautifully tells the story of a lover expressing to his beloved that her natural beauty needs no adornment. The lyrics go, “Kaahe Kare Shringaar Sajaniya, Jag Tope Jaaye Vaar Sajaniya…” For this, Salim-Sulaiman turned to Shankar Mahadevan, whose effortless versatility and command over classical music made him the natural choice for the song. Their dream was to pair that voice with the artistry of Ustad Zakir Hussain…
The universe, however, had other plans. Ustad Zakir Hussain, a towering figure in the world of rhythm and a source of light for generations of musicians, passed away in December 2024. “The idea to create this song with Zakir bhai and Shankar bhai happened at the end of October. In November, Sulaiman and I had the basic melody. Shankar loved it, but he advised me not to send it to Zakir bhai as he wasn’t keeping well. On December 15th, we all lost him. I had lost my musical father. Song left aside, it was a huge loss for me and the music fraternity. Since we had decided to do the track with him, it was only natural that we complete it as a tribute,” shares Salim Merchant.
Shankar Mahadevan reflects that legends like Ustad Zakir Hussain were “walking encyclopedias.” From performing with him on stage to touring the world together, Shankar says one didn’t just learn music in his presence… one learned humility, camaraderie, teamwork, and the art of spreading positivity through music. He expresses, “Shringaar is a tribute to someone who is our favourite… to me, to Salim-Sulaiman, to the entire musical fraternity. This is a collective musical tribute we have given him. I am sure that when the song plays, he will be looking down on us from above… smiling, blessing us, and giving us all the good wishes he always did.”
The making of the song held its own moments of magic. Shankar’s recording was so spontaneous that it barely needed retakes. “We left Shankar just to explore the classical part and he actually sang the whole thing in one take! It was so mesmerising that it literally felt like Maa Saraswati had come and blessed us. We actually captured Shankar live, something that normally doesn’t happen. You have to hear it for yourself,” Salim concludes.
