Internationally renowned composer Dr Kanniks Kannikeswaran releases a musical video titled ‘Rivers of India’ on Earthday 2021. Featured in the video are musical celebrities Padmashri Bombay Jayashri, Kaushiki Chakraborty, Amrit Ramnath, Rishith Desikan and Sai Shravanam (Production) along with a supporting virtual chorus of committed singers from around the world. The video is released by the International Center for Clean Water, IIT Madras with the objective of creating awareness about our precious water bodies.
‘Rivers of India’ is a tribute to the timeless spirit of India that literally accords a revered status to the life-sustaining water bodies. The music strings together the names of rivers across India and it also includes an iconic line from the Tamil classic Silappathikaram”.
This music video is a brainchild of Dr Kanniks. . “It is important to call out the rivers by name” says the composer; “we are inheritors of a legacy that held water resources in the highest regard”. The video tells the story of India’s regard and reverence towards rivers, the growing dependence of an increasing population on rivers, human exploitation of water resources and its consequences; the video ends with a message of hope and a call to humanity to unite and to work towards protecting our precious water resources.
The music was composed just prior to the pandemic; the production commenced in September 2020. It was a collaborative process, with the composer sharing ‘Logic Pro’ sessions on Dropbox, and the Music Production Team recording the artists in Chennai in the midst of the pandemic. Ms Chakraborty and her son recorded in Kolkata and shared tracks; so did an array of more than 50 singers from all over the world including many from the Bay Area, CA. The tracks were assembled and the soundscape was created and mixed down by Sai Shravanam at Resound Studios India. Video captures from Chennai, Kolkata and the United States were integrated into the video production in Chennai.
The Center for clean water hopes that the video will create the much needed awareness and prompt global audiences to visit our website and figure out how they can be a part of the solution’, says Mr Nandakumar, the CEO of the ICCW also an 1984 graduate of IIT Madras. The ICCW is an initiative of IIT Madras with a team of water professionals connecting industry with academia, working towards creating water professionals of tomorrow.
Kanniks is a visionary music composer/educator based in the United States and is known for his pioneering work in raga based choral/orchestral music. All of his productions are consistent with his vision of building bridges across communities, celebrating the message of the interconnectedness of all of life. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of IIT Madras and is also the recipient of several awards such as a McKnight Residency, Ohio Heritage Fellowship and more. Kanniks has been described as a renaissance personality who effortlessly traverses diverse disciplines such as music, spirituality, and innovation. He lives in Cincinnati OH with his wife Jayashree and daughters Vidita and Sukhita.
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