Musical national anthem by Ricky Kej with KISS students creates sensation

Bhubaneswar: The captivating music of National Anthem created by internationally acclaimed musician and three-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej with the students of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) won the hearts of millions globally and has also entered the Guinness Book of World Records.

The music number featured illustrious Indian musicians such as legendary flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, distinguished Sarod players Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan, and acclaimed Santoor player Rahul Sharma, among others. This music was released on August 14 at 5 pm on the eve of Independence Day.

The project received widespread promotion across various platforms, including print, electronic, digital, radio and social media.

The collaboration saw immense viewership, with major national and international media channels like the BBC and others playing a crucial role in its broadcast. Reports indicate that this national music number reached crores of people across continents.

Notably, the highest viewership came from platforms such as Times Entertainment (6 crores), News-18 (10 crores), ANI (3 crores), Daily Hunt (24 crores), India Today (6 crores), News-9 Live (2 crores), Business Today (4 crores), The Telegraph (5 crores), IBC-24 (3 crores), ETV Bharat (12 crores), Republic TV (2 crores), DD (2 crores) in both regional and national networks.

The founder of KIIT and KISS, Achyuta Samanta, has lauded Ricky Kej for devoting more than six months to make the project a big success, which was no less than a herculean task. Samanta, who aims to globally promote KIIT and KISS through such initiatives, has also thanked him for involving the KISS students. This project has successfully conveyed a positive message about Odisha to the world, receiving acclaim from various quarters.