Ricky Kej, a three-time Grammy Awards winner, is a Bengaluru-based musician and environmentalist who has created a monumental version of India’s national anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana.’ This outstanding achievement has earned him a Grammy for the third time, and he has also been nominated for 4 Grammy awards for his album “Break of Dawn.” He was appointed as a UN “Goodwill Ambassador” (UNCCD) in October 2023 and has also been named as a UNCCD land ambassador.
Recalling the event, Kej said, “I am very honoured to be a goodwill ambassador with the United Nations, particularly with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The UNCCD is organised there COP16, the conference of party 16, in Saudi Arabia this year. I am here to attend the conference, film a music video, and create a documentary about land degradation and desertification to raise awareness of the environmental challenges we face”.
He recently met President of France Emmanuel Macron for lunch organised by the Saudi Arabian government and joined by Saudi Arabian Prince, Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud. He stated that while attending the formal events in Riyadh, President Macron was also in town, so he reached out to him, and he invited him for lunch.
While sharing the meeting details, Kej added, “We hugged, and the lunch was beautifully organised by the Saudi government. President Macron also introduced me to his highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s minister of culture. We discussed ways to collaborate between India and Saudi Arabia through music and our shared cultural heritage. During lunch the three of us took a selfie; President Macron even took it using my phone! I deeply admire his highness Prince Badr for his vision and commitment to fostering cultural exchange between nations”. Kej also thanked PM Modi for elevating India’s status on the global stage and making it more prominent and visible on the map.
Kej shared the selfie with President Macron and Prince Badr, captioning it, “Wow! What a day. I met my friend, someone I have absolute respect for, President Emmanuel Macron, at a lunch organised in his honour in Riyadh, Saudi rabia. The last time we met was at a dinner he hosted for our very own prime minister, Narendra Modi ji. I also had the honour to meet his Highness Prince Bdr., with whom I had a fantastic meeting about musical collaboration between our two great nations. Here is a selfie we took together. I congratulated President Macron on a fantastic Olympics and how he is leveraging arts to unite the world and build a compassionate future. He is justa wesome!”
