Sound Of Music

Barkha Mathur / Aug 7, 2016, 03:12 IST

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Rise in number of shows is keeping musicians in city busy. Not so long ago most of them had different day jobs while they pursued music as passion. Now, many are able to be full time musicians

<arttitle><strong>Sound Of Music</strong></arttitle>

Nagpur: An anchor waxes eloquent about content of a musical show, singers enthrall with their vocals, but it is the musicians sitting unobtrusively on the stage who actually lighten up a concert. Their face passive, it’s the instrument they play that speaks volumes about their mastery on the keyboard, the strings or the percussion tools. Most are pursuing their passion by being part of such shows.

There bread and butter comes from a 9 to 5 job. Or so it was.
Some 25 years back, it was the passionate ones who would think of music as a profession, feels music composer Shailesh Dani who can work magic on the keyboard. An architect who practised for a couple of years, Dani gradually made music his full time occupation. “Till the 90s, orchestra shows were popular here. These were events where musicians of not very high calibre would take part more to make money than as a passion. Those who were really learning an instrument would be doing so for their individual pleasure,” he says.
Gradually like-minded people who were connected with music decided to come together to create musical shows. “These were notches up from the orchestra as we selected songs that were classics and high on melody like ‘Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim’, which would never feature in an orchestra programme. People who were seriously learning singing or some instrument began to plan programmes. We rehearsed for nearly two months for each show as we were all working in different professions and had to find time to do this,” Dani explains.
Charged by her desire to create rhythm, Ujwala Gokarn took out some time from pursuits like running a small bakery or making e-cards to be among the percussionists in these shows. She is famous for her way with different instruments like China block, ghungaroo, shakers or maracas. “I always had this sense of rhythm and played at a bhajan programme for which I was appreciated. After that I began picking up various instruments on my visits to Mumbai and researched on this,” she says adding that for the past few years she has been getting so many shows that her other activities are not in focus.

From being an LIC agent to ace keyboard player, Prasanna Wankhede has seen the ups and downs of life as a musician as he began by playing at shows held in city. “I never knew I could make money out of being a guitarist till I joined a guitar class in Kolkata. There, I realized I could make a career out of it,” says Wankhede now trying to establish himself in Mumbai.
It works the other way for Pawan Manwatkar, also a keyboard player. “I was in Mumbai in 1985 and was playing in Babla’s orchestra and also travelled abroad with them. In 1988, I shifted to Nagpur,” says Manwatkar now working as an art teacher at a city school. “Musicians here are not paid as well as they should be. In Mumbai, I was being paid Rs250 as I did not have my own keyboard. In Nagpur at that time the remuneration was Rs70. This ratio is still working,” he says and adds he has not left his job as he plays for passion. “My work in school is extremely hectic but I do find time to do these shows that are being held in big numbers now.”

Lead guitarist Gaurav Tanksale thought it worthwhile to give up his well-paying job as a stockbroker to become a full time musician. “I was employed in a private firm and at times had to work till late evening. For this, I had to skip shows so finally I decided to quit,” says Tanksale who has a diploma in banking and finance. “I am making a little less money now but have the satisfaction and freedom to do what I want to,” he adds.
There are some 500 musicians active in the city, some pursuing music as a part-time activity and others fully involved in shows and concerts. “The scenario has changed over the last couple of years and now being a part time musicians imposes many restrictions,” says keyboard artist Mahendra Dhole. “I have travelled abroad nine times in the past ten years. Having a job would have made it impossible,” says Dhole, a commerce graduate.
Nandu Gohane, who plays the octopad, never had doubts about making it as a musician. He studied till Class XII and has been doing shows since then. “I had thought it would be difficult. When I started in 1995, there were barely ten shows in the city. Today, on an average, I am doing 30 shows a month, so it was a risk worth taking.”
Well-known city flautist Arvind Upadhye has been through the entire rigmarole of pursuing music along with a job. “I used to sell phenyl, became a DTP operator, worked in an ad agency and finally got a job in PWD. With all this, I continued to do riyaaz and musical shows. When I was transferred out of Nagpur I decided to quit,” he says.
The gamble paid off and Upadhye was able to experiment with fusion, create his own band and is doing shows internationally. “There are huge opportunities as lots of music is happening live and at recordings. For those who are learning music, I would say there is ample scope to do it full time provided one has the talent.”

About the Author

Barkha Mathur

Barkha Mathur is a special correspondent with Times of India, Nagpur edition, looking after the art and culture beat which includes heritage, theatre, music and many other facets of reporting, which can be termed as leisure writing. What is usually a hobby for most is her work as she writes about cultural events and artists. Not leaving it at just performances, she follows the beat to write about their struggles, achievements and the changing city trends.\n\nHer work takes her to the best of the events, but in personal life she would prefer reading, especially the classics in Hindi as well as English. Being able to follow her fitness regimen is her best stress-buster.\n

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