Song on millets, featuring PM Modi, nominated for Grammy

A special song to promote the benefits of millets, on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had collaborated with Indian-American singer Falu, has been nominated for the Grammy award under the best global music performance category, officials said on Friday.

The 'Abundance in Millets' song, performed by Mumbai-born singer-songwriter Falguni Shah, popularly known by her stage name Falu, and her husband and singer Gaurav Shah, has been nominated for the award.

Under the best global music performance category, "Falu and Gaurav Shah (featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi)—Abundance in Millets" has made it to the nominations.

Others nominated are Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily for 'Shadow Forces', Burna Boy for 'Alone', Davido for 'Feel', Silvana Estrada for 'Milagro Y Disastre', Bla Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain featuring Rakesh Chaurasia for 'Pashto', Ibrahim Maalouf featuring Cimafunk and Tank and the Bangas for 'Todo Colores'.

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 the members of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) governing bodies as well as the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.

"Prime Minister Modi has written a song with me and my husband Gaurav Shah," Falu had said ahead of the song's release earlier this year.

The 'Abundance in Millets' track featuring Modi was released in June in celebration of the "International Year of Millets".

'Abundance in Millets' was created to raise awareness regarding the super grain as another potential key to minimising world hunger, according to a statement on Falu's website.

Falu, who received the Grammy Award for Best Children's Album in 2022 for her album 'A Colorful World', had said the idea to write a song about millets came to her when she met Modi in New Delhi last year after her Grammy win.

She had said the prime minister had told her that she should write a song with a message on ending hunger during their discussion on the power of music to bring changes and uplift humanity.

Falu had said she had very naively asked the prime minister if he would write the song with her and he had agreed.