Indian-American origin Falguni Shah bags a Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album

Indian-American songwriter Falguni Shah also known as Falu had an epiphany when her nine year old son Nishaad asked her about the kind of privileges denied to people of colour. Her son further probed on why it is that white people get forgiven for the same thing that’s making the black people suffer. 

Falguni found it really difficult to give answers to her son. She didn’t know how to discuss the trials of facing racism all the time and that is what led to her finding a way through music.

To simplify further how this world is made for different ethnicities and there’s a place for everyone, she went on to make the album – A Colourful World.

Breaking down the notion behind colours in an interesting way, the song Crayons are wonderful is based on the mellifluous tunes of Raag Pahadi. The tunes put together beautiful lyrics such as “It’s magical, it’s beautiful, the way that colours get along.” She explained saying, “So we make a song about being brown or what our real identity is. The story was simple – the crayons are all of the different colours but they live in one box together peacefully. I wanted to show him that being brown is alright. And music gets through kids in a much easier way. When you talk to your kids through songs and happiness, it easily penetrates their minds as compared to lectures.” 

Her album has other songs, namely Happy, Rainbow, Kite, A Visit to the Farm, and The Elephant Stomp and her sole purpose is to spread some joy through her music for children.

She didn’t anticipate a Grammy recognition for it, however she bagged the award for Best Children’s Album.

She is one of the two Indians nominated this year for the prestigious Music awards down west. The other one is a winner from the 2015 Grammys – Ricky Kej who has been nominated along with Stewart Copeland for their collaborative album – Divine Tides.

Falu went on to add, “A lot of people felt that some fields in music just do not have enough colourful representation and declining the nomination was their way to say that. We are from all backgrounds, but music united us.”