Shankar Mahadevan to be recognised with top university honour in UK

I am delighted to have extended the invitation for Shankar to come over to Birmingham in the New Year to receive his Honorary Doctorate in person.We have had the pleasure of him visiting our Royal Birmingham Conservatoire previously, and we look forward to his return so we can build on our relationship with him and strengthen our already strong ties with India further, Beer said.

Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan will be felicitated with an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University (BCU) for his outstanding contribution in the field of music and the arts. Andy Street, the mayor of West Midlands county in the UK, made the announcement during a recent trade mission event in Mumbai. Mahadevan, part of the music composing trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and the voice behind numerous songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages, has been formally invited to receive BCU's highest honour at a ceremony in 2023. ''This is truly a special moment for me. It’s something new and will take some time for me to digest this feeling. When I started my career, never did I expect that one day I would be awarded a doctorate for music.

''I am looking forward to some amazing music being created between Indian musicians whom I represent and musicians from the West Midlands. We’ve heard musicians from the Conservatoire perform especially for us at our visit and it was just outstanding - I saw a beautiful collaboration that will happen,'' the 55-year-old musician said in a statement.

The announcement comes after Mahadevan's visit to BCU campus, featuring state-of-the-art creative industry facilities and schools, including the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC). He had toured the RBC with fellow Indian musicians including tabla maestro Zakir Hussain earlier this year, and met with students, staff and partners, and committed to explore links and opportunities between his Shankar Mahadevan Academy and the Conservatoire.

At the Mumbai trade mission event, BCU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Julian Beer formally invited Mahadevan to receive the award at a ceremony next year. ''I am delighted to have extended the invitation for Shankar to come over to Birmingham in the New Year to receive his Honorary Doctorate in person.

''We have had the pleasure of him visiting our Royal Birmingham Conservatoire previously, and we look forward to his return so we can build on our relationship with him and strengthen our already strong ties with India further,'' Beer said. The West Midlands trade mission, led by Mayor Andy Street, seeks to cement existing economic ties between India’s sub-regions and the West Midlands.

''Given the strength of the Indian diaspora in our region, it’s wonderful to celebrate the ‘living bridge’ between India and the West Midlands by honouring Shankar Mahadevan - a titan of film and music. I hope it will encourage greater cultural and educational collaboration in the months and years ahead,'' Street said. Besides receiving the honorary doctorate, Mahadevan will also lead on several collaborative projects at the University’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and STEAMhouse creative hubs.

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