For Shankar Mahadevan, music has always been more than a profession. A Grammy-winning artiste and four-time National Film Award winner, he has spent decades creating some of Indian cinema’s most memorable songs, with hits from Dil Chahta Hai, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Raazi, Dil Dhadakne Do and several others.

Today, one of his biggest joys is being able to share that musical journey with his sons, Shivam and Siddharth. Ask him what it feels like to share the stage with them as fellow musicians, and Mahadevan describes it as the greatest blessing of his life.

“Every single day, I say a prayer of gratitude for one reason: I am a privileged father who gets to stand on stage with both my sons and perform alongside them,” he says. “That is the greatest blessing, reward and earning of my life. Very few people get to experience something like this.”

For Shankar, the relationship goes beyond that of a father and his children. After years of pursuing music with sincerity, he feels fortunate to have found in his sons not just family, but creative partners with whom he can share his deepest passion.

“After spending so many years trying to be an honest and sincere musician, God has blessed me with not just two sons, but two musical companions, with whom I can talk, create, discuss and share music,” he says.

It is this companionship that makes performing together particularly special for the singer-composer. The stage becomes an extension of their relationship, a space where generations meet through music, ideas are exchanged and creativity becomes a shared experience. “For me, that is what a truly beautiful life looks like,” he adds.

And for an artiste who has spent decades on some of the biggest stages and earned some of the highest honours in Indian music, it is perhaps telling that his greatest reward is not another award or hit song, but the opportunity to make music alongside his sons.