Raghu Dixit on performing at the Paris Olympics 2024: First time, an independent act like ours is getting such a chance FilmyMeet

Singer Raghu Dixit and his band The Raghu Dixit Project will be performing at the inaugural India House at the Paris Olympics 2024, and he calls it a “humongous opportunity”. He says, “For the first time, an independent act like ours from India is also getting an opportunity to perform. It’s very easy to get only Bollywood acts but this truly represents our music, poetry and stories across languages from India and show our culture. That is the primary focus of getting a band like ours to perform.”

The musician adds that India House, concpetualised by businessperson Nita Ambani’s Relaince Foundation, being first-of-its-kind, shows India’s growing dominance globally. “It represents how India is rising in terms of world decision making, there’s so much more power given to India. Even at Cannes Film Festival when we performed, there was a separate India pavillion for the first time. It’s a clear sign that across the world, India is being recognised as an emerging power in all fields.”

The band will be performing on two days and will have 75 minutes performance each on both days. “The focus is to sing the original compositions that we make, including our new album that came last year. We will also have poetry from Karnataka, where we come from. There will be a bit of Hindi songs as well. Ideologically, our band’s aim is to spread the gospel of Indian philosophy and spirituality, and that’s what we are known for. It’s not going to be a serious performance though; we will make people sing and dance. I hope that people who haven’t experienced Indian folk music being in a contemporary way being represented, I am sure they will be thoroughly entertained as well,” he says.

Talking of bringing sports and music together, Dixit says, “No amount of diplomatic discussions and political negotiations are as powerful as music and sports in uniting people. I don’t think any other field can bring people of different ideologies to come together and make them feel as one. It makes everyone feel like a human being, just trying to be happy.” The musician is also eyeing a growth in popularity for athletics post the Olympics. “I hope athletics gets the recognition that it deserves and inspires another generation of athletes back home. If one man Neeraj Chopra, who won gold in Javelin Throw last Olympics, can do that, guess what the entire contingent can do,” he ends.