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WhatsApp Image 2021 01 02 at 4.32.15 PM Sanskrit Tshirts

Godhuli Group

Indian Music & The Beatles

A hot cup of coffee in hand, handphones on, and enjoying the wind. This is how I spent most of my evenings during the lockdown. While listening to random songs I discovered a song that changed my thoughts about the greatest band in the world “The Beatles”. It also introduced me to the fact of how a country like India and one of our teachings played a prominent role in their process of songwriting for their future albums. Wondering what song it was?
The Beatles enjoyed their success for over a decade and in the year 1970, they disbanded. George Harrison not only was the lead guitarist but was also a singer, songwriter, music, and film producer. Just like other members of the band he also enjoyed a solo career. A lesser-known fact about this member who was also sometimes referred to as “the quiet Beatle” is that he embraced the Indian culture. He helped the band in broadening their scope by introducing them to Indian instruments and incorporating them into their pop music.
“My Sweet Lord” is the most successful single of George Harrison and the song that I unearthed by sheer luck. This song was written by the singer in praise of Lord Krishna. The lyrics are a blend of English, Hebrew, with chants of “Hare Krishna” and the Vedic prayer. This song intrigued me because it’s not every day that you come across a song with Vedic prayers in it. Not to forget the fact that it’s a creation of the artist who was a member of “The Beatles”. So when I looked into George Harrison and started reading about him, I was surprised to read a piece of information that told me that he also played the sitar! That piqued my curiosity. How did he come across the Vedic prayers or the sitar?
August 1965 Harrison was introduced to the Indian classical music and the sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. It was Ravi Shankar who impressed Harrison. He was enchanted by the sitar and buried himself in Indian music. It was Harrison who introduced the instrument on the Beatles’ song “Norwegian Wood” and it later came to be known as the ‘Guitar-Sitar Explosion’ which gave the Indian instruments a place in the rock music. It was in august of 1967 when the group was introduced to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in London. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is known for developing the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique. In 1968 the group traveled to Rishikesh in India to be a part of a TM training course for three months. This visit came to be known as the most productive period for the Beatles’ songwriting. Here’s an interesting fact – The ashram where the Beatles stayed is widely known as the “Beatles Ashram”. In the year 2018, an exhibition was held there to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in the ashram.
This is how George Harrison got involved with the Indian Music, TM technique, and learned about the culture of our country. He accepted the Indian Culture and incorporated it into his life. That is why when the English musician passed away, his remains were cremated and following the Hindu tradition, his ashes were scattered in the Ganga river.
Now, this was a revelation to me. So, next time you hear a song which makes the wheels turn in your head, go look into it. You never know what engaging information you stumble upon and discover lesser-known facts about your favourite artist.

Godhuli Group

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