Siddhant Bhatia’s ‘Sounds of Kumbha’ takes Mahakumbh 2025 to the Grammys

Earlier this year, all roads led to Prayagraj, which hosted the ‘Mahakumbh 2025’. An event that happens once in 144 years, Mahakumbh 2025 — or the Kumbh Mela — put the spotlight on spiritual enlightenment, attracting visitors from across India and the globe seeking to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam.

Classical singer-composer Siddhant Bhatia was there for a few days, but on a project commissioned by the Government of Uttar Pradesh. On the banks of the Ganga, Siddhant recorded live field recordings, which would then go for post-processing and sound mixing.

Within 45 days, Siddhant and team crated 12 songs and 12 music videos, featuring more than 50 artists from across India and around the world. The result was ‘Sounds of Kumbha’, which has recently secured a nomination at the 68th Grammy Awards in the Best Global Music Album category. “It is a significant moment in my life,” he says, referring to not just the nomination but the album itself: “That I was entrusted to pull off such a beautiful musical experience is a huge blessing. I see this as a big step in globally promoting Indian culture and traditions.”

Siddhant Bhatia, Kanika Kapoor and Raghav Mehta in ‘Sounds of Kumbh’
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Special Arrangement

He is referring to the entire album that seeks to capture the living energy of one of the world’s largest gathering. While the ‘Colours of Kumbh’ track was designed as an anthem that “hits the people and brings them together”, ‘Innerverse’ was inspired by silences and ‘Maya’ was inspired by the large flow of people.

With established artists like V Selvaganesh and Rajakumari, along with musicians like Aditya Gadhvi, Kanika Kapoor, Kala Ramnath and Bhanumathi Narasimhan, among others, ‘Sounds of Kumbha’ blends traditional sounds and mantras with contemporary music production. “The biggest highlight is the ‘Ram Ram’ track that features Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar. He has never been featured in a music album before. When you have him in the project, it becomes a global spiritual product.”

‘Sounds of Kumbha’, which also brings together distinguished producers such as Jim ‘Kimo’ West, Raghav Mehta, Madi Das, Ron Korb, Charu Suri, and Devraj Sanyal, hopes to give a sense of the Mahakumbh within the comforts of your homes, adds Siddhant.

“I’m humbled that this project, which seemed like an almost impossible task initially, is now regarded as a proud product of India,” says Siddhant, who has also been nominated in the upcoming Grammys for another album, Shayan, by Indo-American pianist Charu Suri.