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. He has worked with singers Baba Sehgal and Daler Mehndi in the 1990s. 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. He was awarded one of India's highest civilian honours, the Padma Shri in 2008. Early life and background Wattal grew up in Delhi, 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. 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. Public Service Announcements: Producer of public service announcements (PSAs) on social issues – ranging from primary health care, education to sanitation and more for UNICEF. Producer, First Earth Run event, a joint production for the United Nations. 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