Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has collaborated with Falguni Shah (Falu), an Indian-American singer-songwriter, who is also a Grammy Award winner for a special song named ‘Abundance in Millets’ to promote the benefits of millet and its potential to alleviate world hunger.
- The single track ‘Abundance in Millets’ which was performed by Falu along with her husband (singer) Gaurav Shah was released on June 16, 2023, on every streaming platform.
- The song which highlights the benefits of millet was written in English and Hindi and made accessible to everybody.
Key Points:
i.Falu received the Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album in 2022 for her album ‘A Colorful World’.
ii.Falu stated that PM Narendra Modi suggested her to write a song with a message of ending hunger to bring change and uplift humanity.
iii.International Year of Millets:
- The year 2023 has been designated as the ‘International Year of Millets’ after a proposal for it was brought forward by India and endorsed by Members of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Governing Bodies, as well as by the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.
- Millets were among the first crops to be domesticated in India and several evidences are found for its consumption during the Indus Valley civilization.
- At present millets are grown in more than 130 countries, and they are considered traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa.
-3 New Categories Added to Grammy Awards
i.The Recording Academy has recently announced the addition of three new categories of Best African Music Performance, Best Pop Dance Recording, and Best Alternative Jazz Album, to the Grammy Awards.
- The addition of three new categories acknowledges the influence of the Afrobeats genre and showcases unique local expressions from across the African continent.
- Eligibility: Subgenres such as Afrobeats, Afro-fusion, Afro-pop, Bongo Flava, Ethio jazz, Kizomba, High Life, Fuji, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian drill, Afro-house, and South African hip-hop will be eligible for consideration.
Key Points:
i.Earlier, the African-based songs dominated nominations in the Best Global Music Performance category, which debuted in 2022.
ii.Now due to the addition of the Best African Music Performance award, global songs from other genres like Latin music, K-pop, and Arabic music may also now get a better chance at earn nominations in the Best Global Music Performance category.
iii.The Grammys have also made changes to the voting process. Two categories of Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) and Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical), have been moved to the general field.
iv.Grammys voters are limited in the categories they can vote, however, all voters are allowed to vote in the general field.
v.Thus the 66th Grammy will now have 94 categories, the nominations will be announced in November 2023, and the awards ceremony will take place in early 2024.
Recent Related News:
Ricky Kej, an Indian music composer and environmentalist based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, has his 3rd Grammy at the 65th annual Grammy Awards(Grammy 2023) under the Best Immersive Audio Album category for the album Divine Tides.
