Jawahar Wattal is an Indian cultural entrepreneur, music director and producer, best known for being a pioneer in the Indian non-filmi music field and for shifting the focus of the industry to Delhi.[1] He has worked with singers Baba Sehgal and Daler Mehndi in the 1990s.[2] Over the years he has composed 3,000 jingles, given music for television series like, The World This Week, Himalaya Darshan and Ru Ba Ru, besides he has composed 73 music albums out of which 19 have gone multi-platinum.[3]
He was awarded one of India's highest civilian honours, the Padma Shri in 2008.[4]
Early life and background
Wattal grew up in Delhi,[2] where his passion for music led him to train in classical and instrumental Western music as a teenager and to play the guitar. By the age of 21, he had already composed and sung numerous advertising jingles and performed for leading professional record labels like EMI India.[5] The dream culminated in his setting up a multi-track digitalised production house and an accredited advertising agency by the time he was 21. This Production House was the first of its kind in India's capital.
Major projects
Advertisements: Wattal has directed and produced more than 3,000 commercials. They include: Ponds, Pepsi, Hero Honda, KLM, Usha Fans, Boost, Horlicks, Lufthansa, Maggi, Nescafé and Mirinda.
Brand Promotion: He has been actively engaged in brand promotions and execution of various product launches, with experience in the field of software production for multimedia applications. Additionally, he has been involved in the export of entertainment software to various countries across the world including the USA. Instrumental in corporate image building and promotions for public and private sector companies, his clients include: public sector organisations, BHEL, MMTC and STC to name a few.
Theater: For many years, he has been actively involved in theatre productions for private and government entities. One of his hit productions – 'Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan' premiered in the UK
Tele-Serials: Wattal has scored musical compositions for tele-serials such as: 'Tol Mol Ke Bol,' 'Himalaya Darshan,' 'Newsline, ' S'anjha Choolah,' 'Ruba Ru,' 'Saas Pe Sawa Saas,' 'Quiz Time.' He has also scored for musicals like 'Mira' and telefilms such as 'Kanjoos Makhichoos.'
In-flight music: He was an early pioneer in creating in-flight music with compositions for Indian Airlines.
Live Recordings: Known for his high quality live recordings, he has recorded a veritable Who's Who of artists including: Pt Ravi Shankar and his orchestra for the Festival of France in India, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt Bhim Sen Joshi, Pt Birju Maharaj, Pt Kelucharan Mahapatra, Ut Amjad Ali Khan and Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma among others.
Original Albums: Wattal has composed, directed and produced 73 albums in a span of six years out of which, fifteen went platinum. These have included everything from Punjabi Bhangra, Rajasthani folk, Christmas carols, Sufiana repertoire and ghazals, to a pop album in Tamil. As a result, some of today's best-known Indi-pop superstars like Baba Sehgal, Daler Mehndi, Shweta Shetty, Hans Raj Hans and Shubha Mudgal, to name a few, were launched.
2001–2003 Consultant: Marketing, Artistes & Repertoire, Lucky Star Entertainment Ltd
Jan 2002 Partnered With Dainik Jagran For A Half Page Editorial On Music Entitled ‘Jalsa Ghar’
Mar 2002 Partnered With Sunday Tribune For An Exclusive Column Entitled ‘Half Note’
August 2005 Established Blessings Media Pvt Ltd
August 2007 Partnered With Zeyba Rahman – President, World Music Institute and Harmonia Mundi, New York for an international production entitled ‘Divine Inspiration’.
August 2008 Global Adviser-Advertising, Content Entertainment- SPICE GLOBAL.
December 2009– Consultant Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt Of India.
2011– Member working group on Information and Broadcasring Sector for 12th-five year plan-2012-2017.
2011-Member steering committee for International Film Festival
2012– Director- board of directors National Film Development Corporation Ltd.
International releases
"Divine Inspiration" – Aruna Sairam
Major awards
2008 National Award: Padmashri
2000 Sangeet Samrat Award: the Press Club of Punjab
