MUMBAI: Singer Raj Pandit has collaborated with his mother Neerja Pandit, a renowned Kashmiri folk artist for an upcoming single titled ‘Kashmir’. The track is based on the state of Kashmir and talks about its people who wish to experience peace after decades of unrest.
“Kashmir has gone through a lot of turmoil for so many years, and all that the Kashmiri people want is peace. Our single echoes their sentiments, so my mother and I are looking forward to releasing a track for the same,” said Pandit. The song, which is in Kashmiri, and the video, also shot in the state, will be released either towards the end of October or the beginning of November.
Pandit admitted that his early interest in music came from his mother. At the age of four, he started learning to play the tabla at Ustad Alla Rakha’s music academy, and has also learnt a bit of Hindustani classical music for vocals.
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Apart from the single, Pandit has also rendered his vocals for a couple of songs like ‘Oh Jaaniya’ and ‘Lagan Lagi’ for the film ‘Wedding Pullav’. The music of the film is composed by popular music composer duo- Salim Sulaiman. The lyrics for ‘Oh Jaaniya’ have been penned by Irfan Siddiqui, while ‘Lagan Lagi’ is a poem written by Bulleh Shah. Pandit has been working with the two composers as an assistant and a music producer for the past four years now, and has also been touring with them. However, he says, one of the best things he has done so far is share the mic with Shreya Ghoshal for ‘Oh Jaaniya’.
Pandit’s talent has been noticed by quite a few big names in the Indian music industry, including Sonu Nigam, who also tweeted words of encouragement to the singer. “It is amazing when people like Sonuji and Sheryaji, whom you actually look up to, talk about your work. This actually makes me work harder. It urges you to outdo yourself each and every time you pick up a mic,” he explained.
He revealed that currently he is working on a few film projects, and has no intention of going solo as he is very happy with the kind of work he is doing with Salim Sulaiman.
