Live performances display the fertile crop of Sandesh Shandilya’s Harvest

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Sandesh Shandilya’s new and first digital album, Harvest, conveys the message of nurturing relationships through ‘ECM’ (Entertaining Conscious Music). A live concert was held at antiSocial, a Mumbai pub specializing in music gigs on early this week wherein all the tracks were performed by the composer-lyricist-singer as well as his band of singers, co-lyricists and musicians.

ECM blends enjoyment with purpose. It sparks awakening, mindfulness and healing. It makes you think on societal issues and inspires reflection through intentional, meaningful music. In other words, it is the soundtrack for connecting deeply with yourself and the world around you.

Sandesh is the founder and mentor of Himalayan Harmonies, an artist collective where he inspires a new generation to spark change and connection. The album is produced by Artistes First, founded by Rohit Sobti. At the launch, Sandesh, with his band, Himalayan Harmonies, performed all the tracks in the entire album, presenting a memorable musical that also revolved on the theme of nurturing relationships in a divided world.

Said Sandesh, “This album is taking birth today, and let us see how much its fragrance spreads all over. We need all your best wishes!” Unlike other exponents of such albums, the composer kept on thanking, expressing gratitude and mentioning God at intervals in his comments in-between the tracks. The young singers (some of them lyricists and rappers as well) all raved about the composer, who has been in the field for over two decades, and his ability to encourage and mentor them into doing what they did not believe they could do.

Added Sandesh, “With Harvest, I wanted to create a musical experience that resonates with the essence of human connection. Each track is a journey through the emotions and experiences that bind us together. In a world that often feels divided, this album seeks to nurture the relationships we hold dear and celebrate the shared joy of being part of something greater. I am thrilled to share this work with the world and hope it inspires listeners to cultivate positivity in their own lives”.

Battery-operated candles were distributed for the song, A candle for hope, that speaks of the evils that prevailing around the world, like wars. Another extraordinary aspect of the album was the musical artistes themselves featuring in most of the music videos, all of which were shown on the occasion.

Rohit Sobti, Curator of Artiste First, said, “Sandesh-ji’s vision for Harvest is a beautiful testament to the power of collaboration and creativity. This album brings new unexplored talent with the master, each contributing their unique voices and styles. With Harvest, Sandesh-ji is launching his new band, Himalayan Harmonies as well.”

Darshan, Mir Desai, Pratamesh, Pranav, Chikxxy and Amaey are the music producers, while Deepak has directed all the videos. The nine tracks are Naina barse, Ring of life, Jheelon pe shaam, O balam, Akhiyaan nu, Nazar mein tu, Mishri ki dali, A candle for hope and O Himalaya. Merlyn, daughter of the late iconic arranger, Sebastina, has arranged all the songs.

Akshay, Shradha, Mir, Pho, Raag Stereo, Vedang, Yash and Farozan are the young singers, among whom Farozan also is a lyricist. Irshad Kamil, who has worked with Sandesh in films like Chameli, Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met and Yamla Pagla Deewana (in both of which he composed a song each), has also written a song here—Mishri ki dali.

Sandesh also presented his iconic songs with his band, including Suraj hua maddham and You are my soniya (from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…), Bhaage re man (Chameli) and Aaoge jab tum (Jab We Met), besides his title-track from the hit non-film album, Piya Basanti.