By NAN STAFF WRITER
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Mar. 2, 2022: Worlds collided last night as the West Indies met India. Caribbean soca king, Machel Montano, took his music to India and the 2022 Maha Shivratri by the Isha Yoga Center, founded by the famed Sadhguru and it was received with tremendous enthusiasm.
Montano, making his debut in India, had millions of Indians including Sadhguru himself up on their feet and dancing as he treated the audience to several of his songs including “Dance With You,” as well as “Touch The Ground,’ a new song he debuted with Marge Blackman for the Save The Soil concert.
Montano was introduced as a musician from Trinidad and Tobago who is celebrating over 40 years in the music business with collaboration with top artistes like Arianna Grande, Pitbull and Shaggy. It was also disclosed that he spent 7 months as a participant at the Isha Center.
He opened the set with “Come Awake,” backed by a choir of young singers. Barefooted on the stage, Montano wearing an orange kurta, his head wrapped in a multi-colored scarf, was full of energy at the concert promoted by Sadhguru.
Maha Shivratri is an exuberant nightlong festival at the Isha Yoga Center, with explosive meditations and spectacular musical performances by renowned artists. It is considered auspicious for spiritual growth. The festival, also known as ‘the great night of Shiva’, celebrates the overcoming of darkness and ignorance. It also celebrates the grand marriage of the lord of destruction, Shiva – with the goddess of fertility, love, and beauty and Parvati, who is also known as Shakti (power).
Video of the event captured fathers holding up their babies while jumping and swaying, and women in their traditional saris among thousands on their feet waving their hands. Sadhguru, too, rose from his chair and as he walked closer towards Montano’s performance, he was captured on camera as a sole figure in front of the massive crowd moving his feet around in a classic dance to the soca music.
“I want to thank Sadhguru, Isha and India for welcoming me from the Caribbean,” Montano said. “Maha Shiv Ratri make some noise. The music I’m doing is soca music and it’s the soul of calypso. It was created by a man named Ras Shorty I, who fused African and Indian rhythms.
Montano himself appeared to be fully thrilled by the opportunity to perform to his biggest audience ever, while receiving a reception many could only dream of.
But he also kept the message of the evening alive.
“Right now in this world, it’s up to us to save soil. Are we ready for this challenge? Right now Sadhguru is on his way across the globe. Are we ready to ride with him?” he asked.
It was the segway into his final song, ‘On My Way’, a 2015 tune from his Monk Evolution album.
His call for the crowd to dance was an effort hardly needed as the flowing melody and chants of “on my way, on my way to you” were again quickly lapped up by the captive audience with many more joining those who had been dancing from when he first began.
By the time he was done, the cameras showed the vast majority of the thousands present waving their hands and dancing, and as he left the stage, it was to chants of “Encore, Encore!”
See the full performance HERE
