Songs of the River Ganga is Shantanu Moitra’s lyrical journey to self-discovery

After the Songs of Himalayas series of music, which was inspired by Bollywood’s ace musician Shantanu Moitra’s 100-day long journey across the Himalayas in 2016, the musician is now set to release his new travel web-series Songs of the River Ganga.

Produced by JSW Group, Songs of the River Ganga is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

A blend of adventure, travel and music, Songs of the River Ganga follows Shantanu’s cycling along the river Ganga from its origin to its end to record the music album by the same name. The unique docuseries see Shantanu taking in the melange of blue-green vista, rich sights, sounds, and stories, which eventually culminate in an epic album inspired by the journey. Shantanu’s lyrical journey in Songs of the River Ganga covers more than 3,000 kilometers on a bicycle along the river Ganga. The 60-day adventure is Shantanu’s road trip to rediscover himself with a much stronger purpose through a powerful combination of life’s unique moments and music.

The six-episode web series is presented as a reality show capturing the softer moments as well as the challenges Shantanu overcomes to record his songs in varied locations ranging from an apple orchard at Harsil to a perfume factory in Kannauj to the Ghats of Varanasi, the ruins of Rabindranath Tagore’s House at Munger to the Baluchari silk weavers of Jiaganj. Shantanu is joined on his expedition by well-known Indian singers, composers and songwriters including Mohit Chauhan, Maati Baania and Taba Chake, Bombay Jayashri, Sid Sriram, Kaushiki Chakraborty and Ambi Subramaniam.  

Talking about the unique adventure he undertook for Songs of River, Shantanu says, “Undertaking this unique expedition along the river Ganges on a cycle, I encountered stories often containing a multitude of rich layers from pocketed nooks and crannies of India. This adventure shifted my perspective towards the abundant diversity of our country in an appreciative new light, even reflected in the music we created along this journey. Songs of the River Ganges is a slice of this one-of-a-kind experience that opened my eyes to the fact that despite vast geographies and times, great art and greater music find a way to bind us all together.”

Indeed it was one of a kind experience for Shantanu but not without difficulties. Some of the challenges Shantanu had to overcome in creating this unique music album were the cloud burst in Uttarkashi, the flooding of the river, an asthmatic attack and an accident just 40 kilometers before the final destination. He says the journey also had its high points like meeting the Busker community, rediscovering the melodious oral legacy of the city of Murshidabad, crossing the high-security zone of Farakka Barrage and missing out on permissions made his journey a thrill of a lifetime. For Shantanu, the most decisive moment of the journey was Varanasi, the place where his father always wanted him to be. “It is this moment of the journey that narrates a different purpose altogether,” he says. All in all, Songs of the River marks a journey where Shantanu makes a new family while learning that adventure is all about one’s approach to nature. He says, while the bicycle journey ends at Gangasagar located at the end of the river Ganga, it marks a new beginning in his life.

The music of Songs of the River Ganga will be released on OTT music platforms Spotify, Apple Music, Gaana, and JioSaavn on August 22.