Indian sarod virtuosos Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash are channeling their musical prowess toward environmental activism with the Feb. 20 release of “Celebrating Our Tigers,” a seven-track album dedicated to India’s wild tiger population and conservation efforts.
The announcement comes as the brother duo has been appointed Goodwill Ambassadors for WWF-India, the conservation organization established in 1969. Sons of legendary musician Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the classical artists are leveraging their recent high-profile collaborations — including work on Gorillaz’ ninth studio album “The Mountain” and the Grammy-winning “Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” plus an on-stage performance with British pop artist Yungblud at Lollapalooza India — to spotlight wildlife preservation.
“Through ‘Celebrating Our Tigers’, we wanted to create more than just music. We aimed to craft an immersive experience that echoes the raw beauty and majesty of India’s wilderness,” said Amaan Ali Bangash. “Every note is a tribute to the resilience of these magnificent creatures and to the tireless efforts of those who protect them. We hope this album deepens listeners’ connection with nature and inspires a renewed commitment to preserving our planet’s biodiversity.”
The album traces a sonic path through seven of India’s premier tiger habitats: Jim Corbett National Park, the country’s first national park; Bandhavgarh, historic home to the famed tiger Charger; Ranthambore’s fort-dotted terrain; Kabini’s misty backwaters; Pench’s teak forests that inspired Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”; Kaziranga’s biodiverse Brahmaputra River region; and the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem.
Produced by Kabir Sehgal, the album features contributions from musicians Subir Roy on flute, Debashis Halder on sarangi, Uday Mukherjee on tabla and percussion, Deb Sankar Roy on violin, Bhaskar Jyoti Kalita on flute, and Uditya Lahkar on percussion. Soumen Kutty Sarkar handled keyboard programming, with mixing and mastering by Sawan Dutta on select tracks.
The project incorporates visual work from wildlife photographers Karam Srivastava (Jim Corbett), Shivang Mehta (Bandhavgarh), Kalyan Varma (Ranthambore), Vikramjit Singh Bal and Rakesh Rana (Kaziranga), alongside contributions from Anand Bazaar Patrika (Sundarbans), Felis Creations (Kabini), and WWF-India (Kaziranga).
Ayaan Ali Bangash described the endeavor as “an incredibly moving journey, allowing us to explore the sonic landscapes of India’s tiger reserves. Collaborating with WWF-India and witnessing conservation successes firsthand has been deeply inspiring. Music has the power to communicate emotion and stories beyond words, and with ‘Celebrating Our Tigers’, we invite listeners to celebrate this conservation triumph and reflect on our shared responsibility to protect these iconic animals for generations to come.”
The track “Kabini” features an intergenerational collaboration with Zohaan Ali Bangash and Abeer Ali Bangash, the teenage twin grandsons of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and sons of Ayaan Ali Bangash, underscoring the family’s commitment to conservation across generations.
Sejal Worah, program director at WWF-India, said: “We are delighted to welcome Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash as WWF-India Goodwill Ambassadors. Their album, ‘Celebrating Our Tigers’ beautifully blends music and nature, drawing attention to the majesty of India’s tigers and the landscapes they inhabit. Many of these landscapes face ongoing threats, and WWF-India’s work to conserve these critical ecosystems and the wildlife within them will receive an added boost through the awareness created by this album. We are grateful to the Bangash brothers for using their art to inspire a deeper connection with the natural world.”
The album’s release timing coincides with documented increases in India’s wild tiger population, attributed to sustained conservation initiatives.
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