HE may not be a Punjabi by birth, but his love for Punjabi folk makes him an integral part of the cultural scene here. So, when the star-maker became a star himself this Republic Day by becoming one of the Padmashree awardees in the music category, we rejoiced. After all, it’s Jawahar Wattal, who gave us star singers like Baba Sehgal, Daler Mehndi, Sujaat Khan, Shweta Tiwari and Shubha Mudgal.

“It came as a surprise because one would hardly expect someone working in this genre of music (Indi-pop) to be awarded with this prestigious award. Only three people from the music industry in the past have received this award and it feels great. Though, it turned out to be quite a humbling experience to join that elite league,” says Wattal. And the league he is referring to comprises ‘who’s who’ of the music world — Naushad, Ravi and A.R. Rehman.

To jog one’s memory, Wattal has directed more than 3,000 jingles, scored music for tele-serials like The World This Week, Himalaya Darshan and Ru Ba Ru among others, besides composing, directing and producing 73 music albums out of which 19 went multi-platinum.

And, the award has infused him with a lot more enthusiasm to deliver his best. Now, he is working on a new album, a fusion of North Indian classical music and French rhythm. “Playback singers like Vinod Rathore, Udit Narayan, K.K and Suresh Wadekar have sung for the album,” he informs.

A die-hard fan of Gurdas Maan, Asha Singh Mastana, Wadali Brothers and Surinder Kaur, Wattal’s plans to continue doing what he loves doing the most — provide a platform to serious talent. Does that mean getting involved with some reality shows? “Not really, I did that a long time back as the judge for the TVS Sa Re Ga Ma. I am not interested any more because now what we are doing is promoting the show rather than talent, as a result the winners go down into oblivion when the show is over,” he says.

So, what is his prediction for the music of this region — a region, which once boasted of a rich heritage like Patiala Gharana, which is now a fading glory? “It is a little difficult for hardcore classical music to make its niche, but Punjabi folk is a never-ending saga. One can create and recreate music taking folk as the medium. But a word of caution — do not create confusion in the name of fusion.”

And this is how he wants to spend the rest of his time — picking up elements from music of different genres and presenting it with all its aesthetics intact.