Mumbai: Ricky Kej, the 3X Grammy Award-winning Indian music composer, has set a new Guinness World Record by creating a monumental version of the Indian National Anthem. Following his previous achievement of conducting the largest Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, Kej has now assembled an extraordinary ensemble of Indian living legends and 14,000 tribal children from Odisha.

The remarkable recording features performances by:

- Ricky Kej – 3X Grammy® Award Winner

- Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia – Bansuri Maestro, Padma Vibhushan winner

- Rakesh Chaurasia – Bansuri Maestro, Grammy® Award Winner

- Rahul Sharma – Santoor Maestro

- Amaan & Ayaan – Sarod Maestros

- Sheik Mahaboob Subhani & Kaleeshabi Mahaboob – Nadaswaram Maestros, Padma Shri winners

- Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh – Veena Maestro

- Giridhar Udupa – Virtuoso Carnatic percussionist

The highlight of the event was a choir of 14,000 tribal children from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, who performed the anthem together. This achievement surpasses the previous record of 6,651 participants held by Sweet Adelines International, Nashville, USA.

The recording will be released on August 14, 2024, across all streaming platforms, YouTube, and Ricky Kej’s social media accounts. It will be available royalty-free for any use, provided it remains unedited and respectful of the anthem.

In addition to the recording, a Virtual Reality version will be available exclusively on Apple’s Vision Pro through the Chaarana app, offering an immersive experience of the anthem performed by musical legends.

Rishi Nath, Official Adjudicator of Guinness World Records heartily congratulated Ricky Kej and the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences for achieving a phenomenal 13,944 participants. He said, “This is a wonderful achievement.”

Speaking to Newsband, Ricky Kej remarked, “This project celebrates our diverse heritage and the spirit of Bharat. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together.”