New Delhi: A song on millets featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been nominated for a Grammy award in the best global music performance category. The song highlights the health benefits and the government’s efforts to promote the nutritious cereal. The song “Abundance in Millets” celebrates the International Year of the Millets, which was declared by the United Nations this year. It is composed by Mumbai-born singer-songwriter Falguni Shah and her husband and singer Gaurav Shah.
The track features parts of a speech rendered by Prime Minister Modi at the inauguration of the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference in March this year in New Delhi. The Abundance in Millets was released in June this year marking the celebration of the International Year of Millets-2023.
The year 2023 has been designated as the “International Year of Millets” based on India’s proposal that was endorsed by the members of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation governing bodies and at the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The common types of millets grown in India include pearl millet (Bajra), sorghum (Jowar), finger millet (Ragi), and small millets such as foxtail millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, proso millet, little millet, and two pseudo millets such as Buckwheat and Amaranthus.
