"My ears have always been sensitive to sound and I could make out the various notes and tones and instruments in pretty much everything I heard. I think perhaps everything just pointed to one direction for me..."

How did you first get into music?

My musical journey kicked-off from around the age of nine, when my dad taught me how to play the tambourine. My father's a well known artist particularly in the Bengali community in the UK and in fact Europe; a singer and musical promoter in the UK. He was definitely an emotional boost for me growing up and I got into music through him. I could recall the plethora of music sessions and mini-concerts taking place at home; there was just always a ‘constant’ musical vibe in the house between my dad practising and a tape player playing in the background. That music exposure shaped me, for sure and I already had a sense of rhythm and music inside of me.

From a young age, I also came to the realisation that my learning style was auditory. Which means I learned through listening. My ears have always been sensitive to sound and I could make out the various notes and tones and instruments in pretty much everything I heard. I think perhaps everything just pointed to one direction for me.

Although my Dad is well known for his singing but i’m not sure how many people know him from his earlier years, when he used to play the tabla? I remember quite clearly when dad decided to transition from percussion to singing. He told me: “I want to be at the front of the stage and take the lead...” My Dad’s quite a big character so I can see why this would have suited him better. He told me loads of stories about his experiences and his early years into music. Especially on how he used to play the tabla during devotional singing and that he never really took music seriously at that stage of his life. Music was almost like a hobby for him back then. It's only when he turned 17 or 18 that he thought that he may have something inside of him (from a music perspective) that needs exploring.

Why the tabla?

I used to perform with dad on the stage, as well as other artists, and I eventually mastered the tambourine and became quite good. When my dad saw I was becoming quite popular with the tambourine, he asked me if I would like to commence my training into tabla? I could tell that my dad felt a bit of, perhaps, a lost opportunity in himself in terms of the tabla. I think he felt he couldn't fulfil his ambitions of playing the tabla to a higher level. In terms of my reaction to this, well, to be honest, I didn't really like the tabla back then. The whole business of just sitting down for long periods of time, often on the floor and crossed legged, it was just uncomfortable. At that stage of my life, I was more interested in playing the drums and school drums sounded better and, to be frank, way cooler!

It took me a long time to really align with my dad’s way of thinking on the tabla point. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but it took my dad to (almost) ‘force’ me to sit down with him and play the tabla. At the time, It wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences. In our community, there’s always that pressure to ensure your child succeeds. But I grew to like it, in fact I started to love it.

Looking back, my dad went to great lengths to foster the appreciation I now have for the tabla. He invited artists over to our house from India to stay with us and for me just to be completely immersed in music. Day by day I think that interest grew and the turning point came when I was around thirteen. That's when I started to really take to it and by the age of fifteen, I started to perform. By the way, I was still balancing school life as well amongst the practising, music oriented teaching, and performances. School actually became an avenue for me to experiment with live performances and I showcased my skills during school concerts, which was great because the audience were so engaged and impressed by the sound of these unique ‘alien’ instruments. Playing on stage became normalised at quite a young age for me, I wasn’t fazed at all and I think this set me up well for my musical passions later on in life.

How did you train to get to the high standard you play to today?

In Indian classical music it is important to learn your field directly from a learned guru. Whilst my peers were partaking in work experience before they head to Uni, dad and I had other plans and we decided to head to Kolkata, India for me to undergo intense training. This was around 2008, when I turned eighteen.

My guru was a highly respected artist and I was under his teaching direction every summer over a period of 8 years, during both my A Levels and university. Kolkata was a massive culture shock for me. It was a big thing for me to actually go over there to learn because it’s such a different culture out there. People take music so much more seriously out there. Way more people get into music and it’s almost like a religion for them. Totally different ball game to what i’m used to in the UK. Then there’s the temperature, the humidity and everything else! I was commuting from our flat, which was south of Kolkata, around four times a week, and it took forever - around an hour and a half each way. So three hours a day in commuting with the tuition taking two hours. All for the love of music.

My guru took note of the fact that I travelled to our sessions in an air conditioned car and back at the flat I practised in an air conditioned room. He explained that it’s important for me to step out of my comfort zone and feel the struggle that most students feel whilst working towards their ambition. That was quite an interesting conversation, almost Mr Miyagi-esque. It’s stuck with me. He was a bit of a character and a blessing. He invested a lot of time in music and in his day there was no social media so he made it in the game the hard way. I feel that’s a stark contrast to now where it’s a lot easier to become ‘famous’ so long as you have a social media account and do something out of the ‘norm’.

While I was in India, I would make time to meet other musicians and artists to soak up some knowledge and completely immerse myself into that world.

What were your most memorable performances?

One of them was most definately when I was given a chance to perform in Kolkata. That was massive for me. For me it was like growing up and living in the UK as an aspiring footballer, and then being given the chance to play with the Brazil national team. Such a privilege.

India is not only the birthplace but remains the ‘Mecca’ for Indian classical music and from where all the greats and my favourites come from. There I was, 26 years old, given the chance to perform in the land of Indian Classical Music, in Barrackpore, also once the centre of the ‘Indian Mutiny’.

Going off track slightly, did I tell you that I performed at the 2012 Olympic Games in Stratford? That was amazing. Playing at one of the world’s greatest events, playing the drums, an instrument that I love, and on my home turf just down the road from my house. It was magic. I even got to meet Dany Boyle!

But my highlight had to be performing in Mexico at the summit for Nobel Peace Prize winners. Performing in front of so many distinguished people. Geniuses, in fact, it was awe inspiring and just shows how global classical Indian music has become.

If that wasn’t enough for me, then came my opportunity to perform in Bangladesh, in my family's hometown. A few family friends wanted to host an evening of Indian classical music and the area is well known for its folk and devotional music and is home to many famous Sufi poets. I also got to perform side by side with my dad, so it was pretty special; an experience I hold close to my heart.

Have you been in music full-time?

I was a full-time musician for a while and was teaching in schools as well as one to one private tuition to get a bit of income because, let’s face it, musicians are freelancers and income is rarely secure. It was around 2015 that I thought I needed a bit more of a stable income and decided to look for stable full-time employment. I worked in the NHS first then got a job at TFL, first in station customer services and later project management which is what I do now and am involved in some awesome projects such as station upgrades.

How has the pandemic impacted artists?

It’s a really tough and challenging time for anyone really, including fellow musicians and artists alike and the creative industry in general and my heart goes out to them. I guess I’ve just been really lucky and if I didn’t have my job at TfL, I’m not sure what position I would be in right now. I actually credit my mum for this as she was the one who actually had a pep talk with me and said: “listen. You never know what's around the corner and you have to be ready for those rainy days…”.

I’ve also performed live online via virtual shows and that’s been great. Especially for people who seek comfort in music and live performances as during the first lockdown there was a clear lack of music, there was a bit of a vacuum. However, I’m not clear about the long term viability of online performances because a lot of it is free, so there is a question over the business model. Having said that, times have changed and during great disruptions comes great ideas. Perhaps someone really smart will find a way through for us. I’m already seeing online paid for concerts so I am hopeful for the future viability for my friends, colleagues, and the industry at large.

With the pandemic there’s been a bit of an absence of gigs and I decided to fill that time void by focussing on learning music production. I’m new to this field but it’s pretty cool and I have my own YouTube channel.

For a while now I’ve been balancing work, life, music. I think I have a good blend now. I’ve also set up a small music studio in my house and testing out my production skills and producing some content. But I’m quite self critical so I think it’s going to take me some time before I post something but maybe that's a good thing as an artist. That you're always critical of your own work. But in this day and age, I suppose it's really important to showcase your skills, especially because we have the power to do so with social media. I’m a husband and father now and that comes with its own unique and extra set of responsibilities. My music studio has become my own little personal space in the universe and there is something in the pipeline that I'm planning to do.

I must say my mind is a bit split on social media. There’s a lot of pressure right? For instant fame and gratification. For me, personally, that’s not what music should be about. For me, I enjoy music and that’s enough. But I would be lying if I didn’t say social media piles on the pressure to be 100% perfect 100% of the time and it’s really easy to get sucked into that world and lose perspective.

What would you say to a young aspiring artist who is just starting off their journey?

I would say that if you have a passion for something. Doesn't matter what it is, try not to focus on the financials. Don't do it because you want to become famous, just do it because you enjoy it. It’s about finding and escaping to those moments in time when you're doing your music or whatever you're doing and your mind is completely occupied with just one thing. So I would just say, if you have interest in the musical arts, spend time on it, and do what makes you happy.