India, Jan. 13 -- W hen Grammy-winning music composer Ricky Kej took to the stage in Delhi on Sunday, he spoke his mind on why he chose not to be part of Bollywood. During the session at the ongoing Bharat Literature Festival 2026, with author Paul Waters, Ricky said, "Very early on in my career, I decided not to do any film music, not to do mainstream, so-called Bollywood music... Bollywood musicians go abroad, but who shows up for those concerts? Mostly the Indian diaspora." Ricky contrasted how it's not about "filling halls" but about "breaking cultural barriers". Recalling a Ravi Shankar concert in the USA that drew diverse audiences, he says, "There were Americans... people who were not exposed to Indian culture at all." Arguing that India's greatest classical musicians are often more recognised abroad, he named Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Allah Rakha, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, and Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt. "All of them have broken cultural barriers," he added, noting how they are "appreciated outside more than in India". To explain what he calls the "Ravi Shankar Syndrome", Ricky said people know what instrument the late music composer played and who his daughter is but struggle to name even one of his 77 albums. "The silence is the problem," he said, urging Indians to "go back to our roots". Ricky's bond with music began in childhood, as a way to express himself. "My parents tell me whatever I played was always something new," said the artiste, who was brought up in a family of doctors. When he disclosed at home that he wants to be a musician, there were "a lot of fireworks at home, not the Diwali kind, but the horror kind." Speaking about AI, he said, "I understand the fear, but I'm not against it. I'm for music. Whatever makes music better, I'm for that. AI is the future." He added, "The faster artistes embrace it, the more successful they'll be... Those just making music based on a brief are going to become obsolete."...