Isha’s Mahashivratri celebrations held off the 63rd Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony to take the top spot in the livestream charts of Pollstar, a trade publication dedicated to covering live events worldwide. The Mahashivratri event notched up over 20.3 million views on the event’s virtual live stream on Facebook and other social platforms. Aired live from the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore, the all-night Mahashivratri celebrations featured a spectacular display of music and dance that was interspersed with immersive meditative experiences.
The viewership for the Mahashivratri event that began on March 11 and continued till March 12 morning was 50% more than the Grammys, which aired on March 14. Interestingly, the event at the Isha Yoga Center was the only Indian live stream to feature in the list of top 50 live streams last week, watched by people from 130 countries, making it globally the biggest festival in March 2021.
Commenting on this overwhelming response, Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation, said, “Adiyogi represents the fundamental understanding that IN is the only way Out. The phenomenal response for #MahaShivRatri shows at last the world is getting ready to address human needs and possibilities by turning inward. Our gratitude and blessings to all who were with us.”
With over 13.5 million views, the 63rd Grammy Awards landed the second spot among the week’s Top 50 Livestreams. In a socially-distanced ceremony, the show, hosted on March 14 by nominee Jhené Aiko, featured award presentations in multiple categories and musical performances by Burna Boy, Lido Pimienta, Poppy, Rufus Wainwright, Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science, and others.
Among other top live streams, Bandsintown Live’s “Women’s Day 24H Mix” live stream celebrating International Women’s Day took the fifth place on the charts with 177,930 views on Twitch.
Led by Sadhguru, the Isha Mahashivratri celebrations witnessed distinguished artists - Kabir Cafe, Kutle Khan project, Sandeep Narayan, Mangli, Parthiv Gohil, Anthony Dasan, Sounds of Isha and dance performances by the students of Isha Samskriti. The award-winning Adiyogi Divya Darshanam, a spectacular light and sound show showing the origin of Yoga, was also showcased during the auspicious night.
Lakhs of people from across the world gather at the Isha Yoga Center each year during the Mahashivratri celebrations. However, due to Covid-19 protocols issued by the Central and State governments, the majority of the participants joined the event online, which was live streamed in 15 languages on Sadhguru's YouTube, Facebook, Instagram channels, Sadhguru app, on website and over 100 major broadcasters around the world.
With strict distancing norms, hygiene protocols and medical screening procedures, this was one of the most cautious and unusual Mahashivratris at Isha.
