Sarod player Arnab Bhattacharya took the leap of faith when he transitioned his career from an engineer to a classical musician. His tunes have mesmerised many in India and abroad. We caught up with him on his journey and how he makes classical music connectable to the youth, as he recently performed at The Wisdom Tree Café.
When did you find out Sarod was your calling?
I started learning when I was four and a half years and it became a part of my daily routine. When I was abroad doing a job and couldn’t practice, I started feeling something was missing. Then I figured out that music is something I need to pursue. In 2009, I woke up one morning to go to the office and decided that it would be my last day there.
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How is classical music perceived by people in India and abroad?
In India, people are born with Indian classical music no matter the State. In the West, they have imbibed it because so many classical musicians travel around the globe. Western music is notation based but Indian classical is impromptu. Some Western musicians are also learning Indian classical because it gives you the strength of improvisation on the spot.
Can you tell us about your band- The Arnab Bhattacharya Quartet?
It’s a combination of jazz and Indian classical. I went to Kuala Lumpur, became a Jazz music fan, and started learning it on my instrument. Musicians from different genres got together to form the band. The bass guitarist is from the folk genre, the rhythm guitarist has a commercial background, and so on.
How did you venture into composition?
When I listened to compositions I felt there could have been little modifications to it. What I think and feel, I started putting into my compositions. In 2020, I did a major online global project called Shadows of the Dark where I composed the head and musicians added to it.
What needs to be done to connect youths to classical music?
You have to be interactive. Youth prefer to have a rhythm, so you play Indian classical but in a different format.
Upcoming performances
I will be playing in Germany in December and a few other places.