Puttur: Swaratma Music Troupe Embarks on Road Show to Promote Music

News & pics: Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (RD/VA)

Puttur, Apr 17: As a part of Bel Madi programme, Bangalore-based Swaratma music troupe, staged a musical concert in the premises of  Mahalingeshwar temple, here recently which enthralled the music-buffs.

The troupe staged musical concert in both Indian folk and western rock, with the view of creating awareness on music at the doorstep of people.  The self composed songs on corrupt politicians, the emotional music on the land of Karnataka were in their collections.  The enthusiasm of touring troupe in staging variety shows was commended by the spectators.  The troupe has six lead artistes.

The two hours road show with hi-tech speakers and music instruments was a real treat for the audience.

About the six lead artistes

Vasu is a band’s inspired composer. His lyrics speak of his sensitive engagement with life and his stage act speaks of the natural showman he is. Trained in Carnatic classical, Vasu was moulded into the soulful singer he is by his mother and Raghupathy Dixit, his elder brother. His unique way of experimenting with tunes in Hindi, Kannada, English and Punjabi has been a driving force for his fellow band members.

Vasu also has a background in theatre, being a photographer and graphic designer and he is also a filmmaker with a post-graduation from NID.

Jishnu
Jishnu's bio makes for an interesting read - on one hand, the story of academic and corporate successes, with a National Institute of Technology and a top Business school thrown in, and on the other association with music at all levels, from association with the Rock Street Journal to composing cult hits like GMD and Sabka Katega with bodhiTree.

After moving to Bangalore he joined Swarathma, where he finds perfect foil to his terrible sense of humour in Vasu. The two trade PJs till all others are blue in the face or dead, whichever comes first. When not playing music, Jishnu loves Scuba Diving, trekking and writing.

Montry Manuel
To see the Montry Manuel in its natural habitat, you need to see him on stage, performing. The contorted faces, the wide-eyed enthusiasm and sheer pulse-pounding energy he exudes with his dependable and tight drum-work is what powers the Swarathma performance. Unlike other drummers though, Montry plays a different beat, one that adds the dash of spice to Swarathma’s compositions.

Influenced by bands like Pink Floyd, Phish, Sting, Coldplay and Safri Duo he also cites Jimi Hendrix as his inspiration. The sounds of Lounge Piranha, Indian Ocean, Motherjane, Antaragni and Avial have contributed to his playing style as well.

Pavan
Pavan’s fingers draw inspiration from the hummingbird’s wings, creating rhythm on surfaces as varied as the Kanjira, the Djembe, the Ghatam and the Dholak. His passion for percussion found expression when Swarathma happened to him, while still a student of art and photography at CAVA, Mysore. Ever since, he has woven the fabric of his life around creative celluloid images and the free-spirited music that Swarathma stands for.

Pavan derives inspiration from Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Ashram Seer, Sivamani, Selva Ganesh, Trilok Gurtu, Indian Ocean and Antaragni. He also finds support and encouragement for his music in his mother who is also a trained Carnatic Classical vocalist herself.

Sanjeev
Meet Sanjeev, arguably the ‘aathma’ in Swarathma’s music. A techie by profession, Sanjeev learnt the basics of Carnatic Violin at the age of 12. His guru late Sri Vasudeva Rao encouraged him to learn other genres of music apart from Carnatic. The compositions of L Subramaniam and L Shankar were to leave a lasting impression on him.  The 5-strings on his violin allow him the freedom to explore new sounds and experiment with different techniques.

When he’s not playing violin, this quiet gentleman loves to listen to Shakti, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jean-Luc Ponty, Kitaro, Deep Forest and Trilok Gurtu to name a few.

Varun
Having turned twenty-one this year, Varun is easily the fountain of Swarathma's youth. A refreshing attitude with nimble fingers whisper of the dizzy heights this young lad is going to achieve, the first of them being an endorsement by Epiphone guitars. His fingers are faster only on the keypad of his cell-phone texting faster than he can talk. As a toddler, Varun displayed many talents. Dabbling in dance, painting and singing before settling on guitar. Varun learnt different styles, from blues to funk, going beyond the classic rock diet that most guitarists start off with.

An avid wildlife freak, Varun is (second) happiest while visiting National Parks, contributing to conservation projects.