Krishna Kant Shukla is a physicist, musician, poet, ecologist and educator. Currently, he lives in

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

Bharat Bharat, or Bharath, may refer to: * Bharat (term), the name for India in various Indian languages ** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent (or South Asia) * Bharata, the name of several legendary figures or groups: ** Bhara ...

(India) and travels all over the world, giving music concerts and lectures. He is a disciple of the late Pandit

Kumar Gandharva Pandit Kumar Gandharva (pronunciation:, Kn: ಕುಮಾರ್ ಗಂಧರ್ವ; 8 April 1924 – 12 January 1992), originally known as Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath was an Indian classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style ...

and Ustaad Ali Akbar Khan. His concerts and interviews have been aired on National Television and Radio in India several times. His interview on a U.S. radio station has been widely acclaimed. His interview has also appeared on the front page of Times of India. His music concerts consist of singing the poetry of the self realized saints of India, such as

Kabir Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, ...

, Gorakshanath,

Tulsidas Tulsidas (; born Rambola Dubey; also known as Goswami Tulsidas; c.1511pp. 23–34.–1623) was a Ramanandi Vaishnava Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit and Awadhi, but ...

Tyagaraja Thyagaraja (Telugu: త్యాగరాజ) (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Thyāgayya and in full as Kakarla Thyagabrahmam, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his ...

, Surdas, Meera on a base of

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

. He has also translated these songs into English and reads out his translation before singing the song in the original vernacular. He has also extensively researched and recorded the folk songs of rural India, which are becoming extinct. Some of these songs belong to endangered living oral folk traditions that are over fourteen hundred years old. He also sings these songs. His lectures on "

Spiritual ecology Spiritual ecology is an emerging field in religion, conservation, and academia recognizing that there is a spiritual facet to all issues related to conservation, environmentalism, and earth stewardship. Proponents of Spiritual Ecology assert a nee ...

" have also received wide acclaim in India and abroad. This is a newly emerging field in the general area of Religion, Science and the Environment. He is founding trustee and member of Saha Astitva Foundation, a charitable organization that has built a model eco village and organic farm in a tribal area in Maharashtra. This project is the practical aspect of his work on Spiritual Ecology. Dr. Krishna Kant Shukla is considered by many to be a national treasure. He is an empaneled member of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an arm of Ministry of External Affairs (India) Government of India. This entitles him officially to represent India and Indian culture as a Cultural Ambassador in foreign countries.

Early life

Krishna Kant Shukla was born in Patna, Bihar,

(India) and raised in

, Uttar Pradesh. Youngest of four boys, both his parents were professors in Banaras Hindu University. He was musically gifted as a child. Encouraged by his mother, he had taught himself to play several musical instruments by the time he reached his teens. When he was ten years old, he went to U.K. with his mother, who had gone there to pursue her doctorate. There, he studied first in St. Edmunds Primary School and later in Dudley Grammar School. Here, he topped in almost all subjects, including Physics, Math, Music, Latin, Chemistry, Biology, English and French. He recalls how he heard, for the first time, Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik and, the same evening, he came home and worked out the whole score, by memory, on the recorder. After three years in U.K., at the age of thirteen, Krishna returned to

(India) and joined India's top school, the famous Modern School (New Delhi), which was founded by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

to impart the best of Eastern and Western education to deserving children. After graduating with a distinction in Math, Krishna joined India's top institution,

St. Stephen's College, Delhi St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi, widely regarded as one of the oldest and most prestigious colleges for arts and sciences in India. It was established in 1881 by the Cambridge Mission to Delhi. The college ...

for his undergraduate degree in Physics Honours. He then enrolled in the Doctoral program in Physics at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Here, he was appointed as "visiting lecturer" and taught full courses in undergraduate Physics. He was given an award for "Excellence in Teaching" by his University. While pursuing his doctorate, Krishna started studying

Indian Classical Music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

with Shrimati Lakshmi Shankar and Dr. Tapan Bhattacharya. While still a graduate student in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, Krishna was actively involved in organizing

concerts for visiting musicians from

(India), many of whom were living legends. In his own words, "This period turned out to be crucial for my later metamorphosis from a Physicist and a Mathematician to a Musician". Krishna would go to each of these visiting stalwarts, and ask them to teach him something of their art. He thus took classes from Ustaad

Vilayat Khan Ustad Vilayat Khan (28 August 1928 – 13 March 2004) was an Indian classical sitar player.Ajoy Chakrabarty, Shree

Vijay Kichlu Vijay Kichlu (16 September 1930 – 17 February 2023) was an Indian classical singer. He studied Dhrupad with the Dagar Brothers and Khayal with Latafat Hussain Khan, whose style had a strong connection with Dhrupad. He and his brother, Ravi Ki ...

, Ustaad Rashid Khan, Pandit Sandeep Ghosh, and several others. During this period, Krishna also became much influenced by the music of the legendary Great Pandit

. In particular, he was entranced by the "Nirguna Bhajans" ("songs of emptiness") of Pandit

. These songs, originally composed several centuries ago by

, Gorakshanath and others, were and are sung by wandering troubadours in

(India) and belong to a living folk

Oral Tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...

that is over fourteen hundred years old. Pandit

had brought these songs to the classical stage. In Krishna's own words, "These songs tugged at my soul incessantly until I had no other option but to give my life to them".

From physics to music

Physics Dr. Krishna Kant Shukla's PhD work is titled "Calculations of Electron Effective Mass based on 3-D Kroenig Penny Model with Application to Solids". A pioneering mathematical model to predict the behaviour of electrons in simple crystal lattices. This work was later published in the book "Quantum Statistical theory of Superconductivity" edited by Dr. Van der Meswe; Reidel Kluwer Book co. After his Doctorate, Dr. Shukla joined Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York, as an assistant professor in Physics and Astronomy, in 1991. It was here, while teaching astronomy, that his life took an unusual turn. Music In 1992, Dr. Krishna Kant Shukla resigned his job as physics professor and went to

Ali Akbar College of Music The Ali Akbar College of Music (AACM) is the name of three schools founded by Indian musician Ali Akbar Khan to teach Indian classical music. The first was founded in 1956 in Calcutta, India. The second was founded in 1967 in Berkeley, Californi ...

in San Rafael, California to study

Indian Classical music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

with the great Maestro Ustaad Ali Akbar Khan. He studied Vocal and Sarode here. In 1994, he returned to India to study, research, record and, eventually perform, the

Bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

s (songs) belonging to the living oral folk traditions of

and Gorakshanath and other saints, such as

, Meera,

Tukaram Sant Tukaram Maharaj (Marathi pronunciation: ̪ukaːɾam was a 17th-century Marathi poet, Hindu ''sant'' (saint), popularly known as Tuka, Tukobaraya, Tukoba in Maharashtra. He was a Sant of Varkari sampradaya (Marathi-Vaishnav tradition) - ...

Purandara Dasa Purandara Dasa (IAST: Purandara dāsa) ( 1470 – 1565) was a Haridasa philosopher and a follower of Madhwacharya 's Dwaitha philosophy -saint from present-day Karnataka, India. He was a composer, singer and one of the chief founding-prop ...

and Surdas. Between 1994 and 2004, he also traveled through much of rural Northern India to learn and record the folk songs of the villages. With the advent of T.V. and Globalization, many of these folk songs, and the traditions that nurtured and protected their continuity, have become extinct. In his own words, "These folk songs contain much wisdom, beauty, and spiritual depth. It is this folk music, coming from the timeless soul of village India, that has given birth to many of the ragas of Indian Classical Music." In 2003, Modern School Diaspora Initiative hosted a function in New Delhi where Dr.Shukla was honoured by the ex president of India,

K. R. Narayanan Kocheril Raman Narayanan (27 October 1921 – 9 November 2005) was an Indian statesman, diplomat, academic, and politician who served as the 9th vice president of India, Vice President of India from 1992 to 1997 and 10th President of India fr ...

for performing an invaluable service to the country in researching and recording these folk songs. Mr. Shubham Basu, Dy. Director AIMA mentions about Dr. Shukla's (physicist and musician) "…there are threads that might open a physicists thoughts on Spirituality and Spiritual seeker's thoughts on Science…and the best part is Dr. Shukla sails on them with his Music."

Music

Concert Tours: * '' Kabir in Song: Musical Traditions of a Great Religious Poet of India'' (2003) – United States at

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

* '' Poetry of Self Realized Saints of India'' (2004) – United States at

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...

, Hartwick College * '' Poetry of Self Realized Saints of India'' (2010) – United States *'' Ahimsa Concert: Bhajans of Kabir and Other Saint-Poets from India'' (2010) -

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

* '' Benefit concert for the homeless'' (2011) - United States at Maui(Hawaii) *'' Concert with Ram Das and Peter Russell'' (2011) - United States at Mauii (Hawaii) *'' North Indian Devotional Music from the Hindu and Muslim (Sufi) Traditions'' (2014) - United States at Hartwick College Albums: * '' Kabir in Song'' (2000) * '' Live Concert Delhi 2007 Part:1'' (2007) * '' Live Concert Delhi 2007 Part:2'' (2007) * '' Meher Baani'' (2010)

Spiritual ecology

Krishna has delivered lectures on spiritual ecology all over the globe. The foundation lies in the natural or vedantic worldview. Notable Lectures & Talks: * Dialogues with divinity, and their relationship to creativity, in the Hindu tradition * Spiritual Ecology * Spiritual Ecology: The Indian Village as a Model of Sustainability. * Spiritual Ecology & Research Paradigms at

Management Development Institute Management Development Institute (MDI) is private business School in India. It was established in 1973 by Industrial Finance Corporation of India and is located in Gurgaon, a commercial hub near the Indian capital of New Delhi. Rankings MD ...

(MDI), Gurgaon

(India). * Science, Spirituality and the Environment at AIIMS on 15 April 2010. Event Organised by Center for community medicine. Interviews on the subject * Aaj Savere by

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

(2014) *Dr. Krishna Kant Shukla's radio interview with "Tributaries Radio", Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. Spiritual Ecology in Action: * Krishna, and his friends Kalyani and Daniel Uppendahl set up a model eco-village in the village of Ganeshpuri,

(India). The Saha Astitva Foundation which is a registered charity creating a model year-round organic eco-farm. It drew interest of research community too.

Famous quotes

His popular quotes from his lectures, concerts and interviews:- * "What you don't use, You lose" * "What you abuse, You lose." * "Music is not a way to reach god. Music is god." * "Every single man,woman and child on the planet must, to the best of their capacity, become activists for the environment if we are to reverse our royal collective march to oblivion" * "Nature is our mother. She is not a resource for human consumption." * "Western Science, in its present form, is toxic. It must be infused with love and humility, and an ethical code of honor to renounce any experiment or procedure that causes harm to the environment."

References

External links

Official websiteSaha Astitva FoundationAnanda Aashram (NY) Biographies
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shukla, Krishna Kant 1959 births Indian male singer-songwriters Indian singer-songwriters Living people Musicians from Varanasi 20th-century Indian singers Singers from Uttar Pradesh 20th-century Indian male singers