Eight years ago, when this couple was in the US, they decided to use their talent to remind people of their homeland, Karnataka. IT professional Vishwesh Bhat and his wife (a professor) Ashwini, started a new genre of music, that they called Kan-fusion. So, imagine a famous Kannada poem, a few words of English, backed by heavy riffs, a piano and a veena…
”We sang in English and Kannada. We wanted gen-next from Karnataka residing in the US to learn their mother tongue. Literature and language was what we gave prominence, and gave this entire initiative a new twist by giving it the right tinge of Western flavour,” explains Vishwesh. And did the trick really work? “Oh yes, it did, quite surprisingly. There were a lot of inquisitive youngsters, and parents who showed at up our gigs.” The couple went on to give special shows at various places including Atlanta, California, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas and Nashville.
When the couple came back to Bengaluru, after a brief hiatus, they got back to what they love the most, music. “Today, I have my own band called Svaramrita and I’m also the vocalist for my office (Infosys) band, Xprescions. It feels great to be able to pursue the passion,” says Vishwesh, who initially was taken aback by the city’s pace. “When we returned, my working hours changed. I had no time for anything. There was hardly any leisure time. Though it did take us almost a year, we did bounce back,” he adds.
Vishwesh today performs for a few shows on television and works on many independent projects. “I recently helped a group of artistes’ record and compose a Coorgi album. I take up a few independent projects such as this. But, I’m also dedicating enough time for a solo project. I might release an album in the future,” says Vishwesh, who released his first album, Gama Gama in the US.
Talking about the changing music trends in the city, he says, “There are a lot of people who have now started fusion bands, it is nothing new. But it’s a positive trend. It’s good to see that there are many out there who still enjoy singing in their native tongue,” he says, adding, “I’ve also started another style of singing, you can called it diffusion. It’s all about giving devotional songs a new getup. Like a Purandara Dasa’s composition is performed live using electronic guitars and a piano, without violating the ‘devotional’ aspect, but still making it different enough to get the youth’s attention,” he explains. When he is not busy, he enjoys cartooning. “I’ve freelanced for many publications. I’ve contributed over 1,000 illustrations so far. I still do indulge in this passion, when I can,” he concludes.
source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Glam Sham / by Ganashree Kedlaya / DC / June 21st, 2012
