Music, Kindness & Passion: All About Ricky Kej, Grammy-Winning Bengaluru Boy Awarded Padma Shri This Year 

Ricky Kej’s body of work includes 24 studio albums, apart from over 3,500 commercials and 8 feature films, including the documentary ‘Wild Karnataka’ narrated by David Attenborough. 

Grammy-winner Ricky Kej conducts a 100-piece British orchestra from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform India's national anthem at the Abbey Road Studios, London. File image.

Source : PTI

Padma Awards 2025: Ricky Kej, the 3-time Grammy-winning composer, may wear music as his crown. But the breathtaking compositions he weaves are more than just a passion for this US-born Bengaluru boy — they are a powerful medium to celebrate life and nature, and urge compassion for the environment. The music Kej makes is not just immersive and meditative, “it’s a medium to appreciate the whole reason behind our existence”, as Rolling Stone noted in a review. 

Kej, who was honoured with a Padma Shri award this year, wears his heart on his sleeve, and seeks to promote the message of kindness among his audience. “Kindness goes a long way in making life a joyful experience. ‘Kindness Matters’ is not just an idea but an experience that makes us human,” said Kej, appointed a kindness ambassador by the Unesco Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), in an interview published on the Unesco website.

For Kej, 43, the Padma Shri is a “deeply meaningful” recognition, “as it validates the choices I have made throughout my career”. “At every stage, I have strived to go against the grain, follow my passion, and use my work to inspire and bring about positive change. To me, this honour is not an end goal, but a new beginning,” he said.

'Kindness Matters'

Kej’s body of work includes 24 studio albums, apart from over 3,500 commercials and 8 feature films, including the natural history documentary ‘Wild Karnataka’ narrated by the legendary David Attenborough. His album ‘Divine Tides’, which has won two Grammys, is a collaboration with the celebrated American musician Stewart Copeland, formerly the drummer for the British rock band The Police. 

His work has earned him appreciation from musical giants like Lata Mangeshkar and A.R. Rahman, to political leaders. When Kej won his first Grammy in 2015, Rahman wished him the best and said he had “proved yet again that music is a credible choice, no matter where you are born”. A testimonial on Kej’s website captures PM Narendra Modi’s praise for his “passion and enthusiasm towards music”.

Ahead of Independence Day, 2024, Kej released an epic rendition of the national anthem that made it to the Guinness Book Of World Records.

Honored to share my epic rendition of our National Anthem of India (Bharat). Featuring top legendary Indian musicians - a 100 piece British Orchestra and a choir of 14000 tribal children! We even won a Guinness World record :-)
Please share, watch, use, but with respect :-) It… pic.twitter.com/7XASJZ8hxC

— Ricky Kej (@rickykej) August 14, 2024

The rendition featured legendary Indian musicians such as Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Rakesh Chaurasia, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash, Rahul Sharma, Jayanthi Kumaresh, Sheik & Kaleeshabi Mahaboob, and Giridhar Udupa, apart from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (UK), and 14,000 tribal children from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences.

Kej’s work has won him over 100 music awards in 20 countries. Apart from Unesco MGIEP’s Global Ambassador for Kindness, he also serves as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador (UNCCD), and United Nations Refugee High Profile Supporter, a position that acknowledges celebrities who use “their influence, dedication and hard work to raise funds, awareness and advocate for refugees”.

In the aforementioned interview, Kej noted how humanity has “on numerous instances, been pushed to the brink of absolute hopelessness”. “At such moments of sheer darkness, kindness has given hope. It is through kindness that one makes history, it is through kindness we kindle compassion, and it is through kindness that we can come together to build a future that is sustainable and meaningful for all,” he said.

Kindness, he added, “been central in everything I do”. 

“In fact, it is from kindness that my creativity and my zeal for life emerge. To top it off, Mother Nature has been my biggest teacher of kindness. The idea that kindness matters is almost akin to poetry in nature,” he added. “From coexistence to compassion to the interdependencies of species that form the delicate web of life, nature has taught and inspired me. My life’s message and purpose is an embodiment of nature. This is where my music and work come in – with everything that I create, I strive to encourage sustainable living and generate environmental consciousness.” 

He performed at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Odisha earlier this month, and at Nagaland’s famous Hornbill Festival last month. Describing the latter, he said “performing for over 8,000 screaming, jumping, and dancing fans was an absolute thrill”. “The energy, the love, and the passion from the crowd made it a night to remember,” he added.