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The 56-year-old singer, who is a member of the accomplished Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio of music composers, received the honour from the university’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Philip Plowden at a ceremony in Birmingham on Saturday.
“Globally acclaimed Bollywood singer, composer and actor Shankar Mahadevan has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University in recognition of his outstanding contributions to music and the arts,” the university said.
The award was announced earlier this year during a trade delegation to Mumbai led by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.
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“When I started my career, never did I expect that one day I would be awarded a doctorate for music. I am looking forward to some amazing music being created between Indian musicians whom I represent and musicians from the West Midlands,” he said.
The doctoral ceremony follows a BCU India and West Midlands India Partnership organised visit by Mahadevan to the university’s GBP 400-million campus, featuring state-of-the-art creative industry facilities and schools including the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC).
“We’ve heard musicians from the Conservatoire perform especially for us at our visit and it was just outstanding; I saw a beautiful collaboration that will happen,” added Mahadevan.
The Bollywood star toured RBC with fellow musicians, including Zakir Hussain, earlier this year, meeting students, staff and partners, and committed to exploring links and opportunities between the Bangalore-based Shankar Mahadevan Academy and the Conservatoire.
“Given the strength of the Indian diaspora in our region, it’s wonderful to celebrate the ‘living bridge’ between India and the West Midlands by honouring Shankar Mahadevan – a titan of film and music. I hope it will encourage greater cultural and educational collaboration in the months and years ahead,” said Mayor Andy Street.
An accomplished engineer-turned-musician, Mahadevan’s repertoire encompasses Indipop, film, folk and spiritual music as well as Indian classical music, jazz and world music. In 2019, he was conferred the Padma Shri for his contribution to the arts.