Gujarat's indie artistes strike the right work-music chord

While music takes center stage in the lives of these indie musicians from Gujarat, many of them are working professionals by the day and musicians by the evening. From being a photographer, designer, writer, music teacher to working in corporate set ups, these music makers dabble between the passion and profession with ease and élan.But every moment of their daily routine heads to the evenings, when they get to do what they absolutely adore -make music.
Passion trail
When the heart follows its passion, the mind finds its way to pursue it.“No matter how tired I am or how late I come back from work, I always find time to pick up my guitar and play ,“ says Nishad Shah, who was working in an MNC and now runs a music school in Vadodara. He adds, “I can't do without music, but also have to balance it out with work since it gives a stronger monetary support.“ Music for others like John Bovas comes in different forms, even it means a late night sitting in a recording studio after a long day's work. John, who teaches guitar to children for free, teaches choir music, does studio recordings, writes jingles besides working in a firm in Ahmedabad.Amid his busy schedule, he still finds inspiration in music. “Music runs in the family as my father and brother have been musicians, they inspire me a lot.“
Music and moolah
It is no secret that making money through music is not the easiest thing. To support themselves, something additional needs to be done, say the indie rockers. “As a musician, it is still difficult to depend solely on music to make money," says Sahil Abhichandani, part of the Ahmedabad Jazz and Blues Festival.He adds, “You have to do routine things too. Sustaining through music is difficult because it's not a regular source of income, as far as Ahmedabad is concerned. So I am involved in my family business and work on different projects to keep myself going. But still our focus as musicians, is to create a environment where musicians can come together and create good music.“
In absence of season
While musically oriented cities in India see a round the year packed gig calendar, Gujarat's calendar is more compact during winter, posing a challenge for musicians to keep their music alive round the year.“Music is not a round the year phenomenon here,“ says Ahmedabad based saxophone artist Harmish Joshi, who doubles up as a content writer. He adds, “So we need to invest our remaining time in something financially productive, which in turn also supports us economically. As an MA in English Literature, I don't want to let go of the `writer' within me. I'm keeping that writer in me alive by working as a content writer, but my heart really beats for music.“
Practice perfect
If you thought sitting at home strumming your guitar was practicing music, then that's not a professional's job. “Even practicing costs money,“ adds Harmish. “Buying a good instrument is expensive, and you need a source from you can earn those extra bucks.“
Adds Sahil, “You always want to perfect your sound, which you do during practice, and getting the right sound needs better and more expensive instruments. Setting up an electric guitar with quality sound instrument alone would cost anything around `50,000. So, where do you get that money from?“ That's the question these musicians answer through their odd jobs.
Battling commercial power
The most powerful force indie music faces is Bollywood music, which is rampant and ever prevailing. Divyang Arora, an Ahmedabad based musician and an indie band member says, “Live gigs means Bollywood for most people here. While you get shows or small time gigs, it's few and far between. So, for the rest of the time you need a support to help you follow your kind of music and stand up against the commercial wave we keep battling against.“
Be it a late night jam, an early morning quickie with the guitar, an informal get together for a musical evening, indie musicians in Gujarat leave no opportunity to bring some more music in their lives. And all this after the `work day' has got over.