Shankar Mahadevan to be recognised with top university honour in UK

PTI

London, November 11

Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan will be felicitated with an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University (BCU) for his outstanding contribution in the field of music and arts.

Andy Street, the mayor of West Midlands County in the UK, made the announcement during a recent trade mission event in Mumbai.

Mahadevan, part of the music composing trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and the voice behind numerous songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages, has been formally invited to receive BCU’s highest honour at a ceremony in 2023.

“This is truly a special moment for me. It’s something new and will take some time for me to digest this feeling. When I started my career, never did I expect that one day I would be awarded a doctorate for music.

“I am looking forward to some amazing music being created between Indian musicians whom I represent and musicians from the West Midlands. We’ve heard musicians from the Conservatoire perform especially for us on our visit and it was just outstanding – I saw a beautiful collaboration that will happen,” the 55-year-old musician said in a statement.

The announcement comes after Mahadevan’s visit to BCU campus, featuring state-of-the-art creative industry facilities and schools, including the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC).

He had toured the RBC with fellow Indian musicians including tabla maestro Zakir Hussain earlier this year, and met with students, staff and partners, and committed to explore links and opportunities between his Shankar Mahadevan Academy and the Conservatoire.

At the Mumbai trade mission event, BCU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Julian Beer formally invited Mahadevan to receive the award at a ceremony next year.

Besides receiving the honorary doctorate, Mahadevan will also lead on several collaborative projects at the University’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and SteamHouse creative hubs.