The cover for Sacred Tibetan Chant. Picture by Ashit Rai

Gangtok, July 18: Sikkimese lama Kalzang Yeshe may have chanted his way to the Grammy Awards, but surprisingly, he was not in the list of luminaries from the state who were felicitated at the Sikkim Samman Awards.

Yeshe led a group of monks belonging to Sherab Ling monastery in a recording titled Sacred Tibetan Chant: Monks of Sherab Ling that bagged the Traditional World Music award at the 46th Grammy Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles early this year.

At home in Sikkim, though, not many are aware of Yeshe’s feat and the first Grammy winner from the state is yet to be feted for his achievement.

The monk, however, feels the greatest reward lies in the fact that many in the world are now much more familiar with Tibetan spiritual music.

“None of the monks involved in the recording had heard about the Grammy awards. We are happy to have done our bit for religion and spirituality by drawing attention to the sacred chants. We do not know how to react to the award, though we have been told it is one of the most prestigious in the world,” said Yeshe.

Yeshe, who hails from Lingtam in west Sikkim, is currently the Omdze at Sherab Ling monastery in Himachal Pradesh. Eight senior monks, including Norbu Gyaltshen and Trinley Gyurme, joined Yeshe in recording the mantras for a group of devotees in New Zealand.

“Some New Zealanders came to record our chant after seeking permission from our Rimpoche, Tai Situpa. We neither aimed for, nor expected a Grammy,” said Yeshe, who emphasised that listeners should focus on the spiritual value of the chants.

The recording was promoted by music label Naxos. It was recorded in the sanctum sanctorum of the monastery, aided by members who belong to one of the sect’s centres in New Zealand.

For Yeshe, winning one of the few Grammies that have come India’s way has not “altered my life or outlook in any way”. The monk, who is happy to have done something that has been appreciated by Buddhists across the world, left Sikkim at the age of 12 to take up the monastic life in Sherab Ling.