He teamed up with actor schoolfriend Sanjeev Bhaskar to create the comedy double act Secret Asians for BBC Radio, and co-devised the ensuing BBC TV comedy series Goodness Gracious Me.

He also played acid-jazz with the James Taylor Quartet, formed his own band, The Jazztones, and collaborated with tabla player Talvin Singh in the Tihai Trio, before forging a solo career. He has toured worldwide, written for Sinead O'Connor, remixed for Sir Paul McCartney and Sting, and produced for Algeria Rai maestro Cheb Mami.

He's also composed scores for films such as Dance of Shiva, and Anita and Me, and his TV credits include soundtracks for BBC documentary The Sikhs, C4's Bodily Harm, and a C4 adaptation of Twelfth Night. Steeped in Indian and Western classical music as well as rock, he has written for The Proms (2000's Urban Prophecies), the Britten Sinfonia (2001's Neural Circuits). Last year, Sawhney also recorded "Varekai" the latest offering from the magnificent Cirque du Soleil.