Summer has just set in, it’s a warm afternoon and we are at the brand new Sunrooof store in Indiranagar, the perfect well-lit venue for our conversation with Swayam Siddha Priyadarshi — better known as Swayam Sitar. The young sitarist, who effortlessly straddles two worlds as a product designer and a performer with a devoted online following, has the kind of energy that suggests he’s only just getting started.
You’ve got a lot going on — what are you working on right now, what can fans expect next, we ask.
“Lots, actually,” he laughs. “There’s new music in progress — some of it through brand collaborations, which I’m quite excited about because it lets me create original work within a new framework. But more importantly, I’m working on my own compositions,” he tells us.
He pauses, choosing his words carefully. “For decades, classical music hasn’t really questioned how it presents itself to audiences. I’m trying to explore that. A classical concert can traditionally last for two hours or more, but most younger listeners won’t sit through that. So how do you compress it into five minutes without losing its soul? That’s the challenge,” he explains.
It’s here that his design training begins to reveal itself. “It’s essentially design thinking,” he admits. “You respect the integrity of the form, but you rethink the experience,” he further reveals. That’s a bold approach, especially in classical music, where tradition can be… unforgiving. Do you worry about criticism, we then enquire. “It’s definitely a slippery slope,” he avers. “Classical audiences can be quite protective — and rightly so. But at the same time, people outside that world often find it intimidating. I want to break that barrier, even if it means ruffling a few feathers,” he shares.
That said, rebellion isn’t quite his style. “I’m not here to disrupt for the sake of it. If you break too many rules and still call it a raga, then the purpose is lost. The idea is to take everyone along — to stay rooted while opening new doors,” he adds. You’ve built a strong independent identity — especially online. Has that made it easier to experiment, we ask. “Absolutely,” he says. “Not being tied to an ensemble has given me the freedom to explore. But I’m also keen to collaborate more.”
In fact, collaboration seems to be his next frontier. “I’ve been working with a fantastic tabla player for my live shows — someone deeply grounded in classical music. At the same time, I’m exploring modern soundscapes. The handpan, for instance — it fits beautifully with Indian music,” he tells us.
You’ve also dabbled in cross-cultural work— would you go further, say into carnatic territory, we ask. “I’m very open to that,” he says. “The foundation of hindustani and carnatic music is actually quite similar — it’s the ornamentation that differs. That’s where the friction comes in,” he explains. Still, he’s optimistic. “Percussion has already crossed over quite freely — mridangam, ghatam. I’d love to explore more of that space. It’s all about finding common ground,” he adds.
And when you’re not playing the sitar, you’re designing. How do those worlds intersect, we ask.
“For me, design came first,” he says. “I grew up in a creative household — my mother is an architect — so, I was always building, making things. That curiosity still drives me,” he smiles. It’s not just conceptual, either. “I design my own outfits. It’s all part of the same process — creating something that feels personal.” Any plans to turn that into a label, we ask in conclusion. “Not just yet,” he says, though he doesn’t rule it out. “We are thinking of introducing merchandise at shows and I’ve recently collaborated with a jewellery brand on a limited set of diamond pieces,” he concludes.
Swayam’s latest work is streaming on YouTube.
Email: romal@newindianexpress.com
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