Shankar Mahadevan, a household name in India who has composed songs for over 60 Indian films, said at an international school event that Goa should be a “cultural hub”.

“Goa needs definitive performance facilities; academy facilities,” he said during a panel.

“Music should not just be considered as an extracurricular activity. It is an important activity and we should see to it that venues are set up here in Goa, like an academy, or performance venues,” he explained further.

The Gera School, an international school based in Goa, hosted a Meet The Legends series panel which included Mahadevan, sponsored by its parent company Gera’s ChildCentric Homes initiative.

He further mentioned that the proposed facilities Goa needs must be of a level that accommodates both Indians and international students for them to study music as a main endeavour.

Mahadevan also talked during the panel about the popularity of Indian music, and how well-respected it is abroad – and how international students especially would benefit and be interested in learning more about it.

“[Goa needs] a good musical institution to attract international students”

“Goa is the country’s hub for all kinds of development, all kinds of focus on art and culture… while it is already a great tourist destination it should become an artist’s hub.

“You need a good musical institution over here to attract international students,” he added.

Mahadevan himself runs a music academy based in Bangalore – the Shankar Mahadevan Academy – where he has set up comprehensive music programs, and aims to further “champion” Indian music on a global stage.

The academy, which also sponsored the event, offers a varied number of music programs that has been used by over 20,000 students and 100 schools.

The Gera School is one of the few campuses in the province to offer the Cambridge Assessment curriculum, labelled as a Cambridge International School. Set up by the overarching Gera development company, it had also previously developed the Jai Hind Sindhu Education Trust in Pune, which claims to cater to over “10,000 students aged 3 to 23”.