National Award winner Shankar Mahadevan: "Popularity doesn't mean you are good. This is the

It was a musical evening to remember at Whistling Woods International (WWI) as Shankar Mahadevan who is a four-time winner of the National Award: three times for Best Male Playback Singer and once for Best Music Director took over the stage infusing energy and enthusiasm in around 300 students with his vocal performance and giving them lessons on the event's theme of Art of Music and composition. He lit the lamp along with Chairman of WWI Mr. Subhash Ghai to mark the new session of 5th VEDA which aims to embed both mental and spiritual growth in students.

His sheer exuberance is far from the solemn character of his records. His transition from a band singer to charismatic soul singer is striking. When he sang, his vocals were muddy, but his staccato bass runs gave the music bounce as well his constant pace put everyone in awe. Shankar Mahadevan reached out to the crowd, singing along with them and cried out the lyrics to an audience that seemed to know every word.

He exclusively sang his first composition which never released for everyone in the auditorium. He said, "The whole idea of Music is to communicate while the composition is more like creating proportionate notes with love." Further speaking on the importance of getting an education in the music, he said "It is very important to have a formidable education in music as the learning and knowledge you receive act as your database which will help you achieve excellence in future."

He spoke about the difficulties he faced when conflicted with the decision of making a choice between his secure computer engineer job and singing but since he realized that his passion was singing, he made the choice. He encouraged everyone to follow their passion as then the success is guaranteed.

He shared his experiences of working with various directors and talked about the importance of understanding the psych of the Director one is working with as it helps the music composer to come out with a desired outcome. He also spoke about the deteriorating state of classical music and emphasized on the importance of its revival by infusing classical elements into modern songs and the responsibility of which lies with music composers. He urged the students to stay in touch with their classical music roots which has gained India popularity world over.

Some very talented singers from the School of Music at WWI surprised Shankar Mahadevan by performing some melodious tracks. To their delight, he gave them some on stage lessons.

It was a joyous evening as everyone enjoyed listening to the very talented Shankar Mahadevan. The ear-piercing squeals of delight were a proof when the show came to the climax with his best ever performance of the song 'Breathless.' President of WWI, Meghna Ghai Puri presented him with a token of appreciation.