Mumbai, Oct 19 : Music composer Salim Merchant celebrated Diwali in a grand style at New York's Times Square, sharing a special moment with Sonu Nigam.

As part of the festivities, Salim presented Sonu Nigam with a thoughtful Diwali gift, marking a joyous occasion while highlighting the global reach of Indian music with the upcoming project Bhoomi 2025. On Sunday, Salim took to his Instagram and shared a video of himself standing in front of Times Square, showcasing their song on the big screen. For the caption, he wrote, 'Celebrating Diwali at Times Square and here's a Diwali gift for @sonunigamofficial @paradox.here & @shraddhapandit Feeling so happy to take Indian music to the world! Bhoomi 2025.'

In the video, Merchant could be heard saying, 'Her Jogiya on Times Square. Wow. Thank you Sonu Nigam, Paradox and Shraddha Pandit. It feels awesome really.' Music composer-producer duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant have launched the latest edition of their acclaimed annual musical initiative, 'Bhoomi.'

Originally introduced in 1999 with a futuristic vibe, the project was revived in 2020. For Bhoomi 2025, the brothers curated an impressive roster of songs spanning diverse genres and languages. The lineup included a Gujarati Krishna pop track with Parthiv Gohil, a classical-pop fusion with Shankar Mahadevan, and a romantic ballad featuring Shaan. High-energy dance numbers were performed by Sonu Nigam and Paradox, while soulful melodies were brought alive by Papon and Shreya Ghoshal.

The edition also featured a Kashmiri composition with Noor Mohammad, a Punjabi anthem with OAFF, Burrah, Krish Mondal, and Sudan, an Uttarakhandi track with Pawandeep Rajan and Hansika Pareek.

Speaking about the project, Sulaiman had earlier said in a statement, 'We have always tried to do different things, to explore genres and discover new artists. When we started off, it was just folk and devotional music; then we moved into pop. We've tried hip hop, we've tried EDM, and now it's a great mix of it all. Next year, we would love to do Malayalam, Tamil again, Odissi music, and go to the far east in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.'

/IANS