‘Shakti’ display at Grammys: Famous 5 bag awards

"Exceptional talent and dedication to music had won hearts worldwide. These achievements are a testament to the hardwork you keep putting in. It will also inspire the new generation of artistes to dream big and excel in music" - Prime Minister Narendra Modi

New Delhi: Indian music struck a chord at the 2024 Grammy Awards with five Indian musicians, including tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, picking up the coveted prize at a glittering ceremony in Los Angeles.

While Hussain was India's big winner with three Grammys, Rakesh Chaurasia picked up two. Singer Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram, Hussain's collaborators in the fusion group Shakti, won one Grammy each at the event held at the Crypto.com Arena Sunday night. Shakti won the 2024 Grammy Award for best global music album for "This Moment".

The album features the four Indians as well as its founding member, the legendary British guitarist John McLaughlin.

"This Moment", which released to critical acclaim in June 2023, is the group's first studio album in more than 45 years.

Besides his award for Shakti, Hussain won two other awards -- the best global music performance for "Pashto" and best contemporary instrumental album for "As We Speak". The best global music performance category had eight nominees, including "Abundance In Millets", a song by Falu and featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "Shadow Forces" by Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily, and "Alone" by Burna Boy. Rakesh Chaurasia, nephew of legendary flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, won two Grammys as part of the ensemble of American banjo player Bela Fleck and American bassist Edgar Meyer for "Pashto" and "As We Speak".