Artist of the month: SOUMIK DATTA

You are a well-travelled musician, television presenter & composer. How do you juggle between all of these and yet stay true to what each one demands?

Over the years, its true, I’ve started exploring multiple career paths. At heart, I’ve always been a musician. This led organically to becoming a composer and my passion for tv and film has led me to explore on-screen work. But at the core of it all, is essentially me. Each of these roles fulfil different parts of who I am. I’m grateful that we live in a world where that is possible. A few years ago, it may even have been unthinkable! But there is a lot in common between these strands too: frequent journeying, touring, devising, planning, committing vast sections of script and music to memory, collaborating with teams either on set or in a studio. All this fills me with tremendous creative energy. I really couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

How did you decide to pick up the Sarod at first and what inspired you?

I was thirteen and had recently discovered the sarod - an heirloom stored among various bits of vintage items that had accompanied my family on our move to London. There was something in that sound - a resonance that had completely captivated me. So during the winter holidays, my Dad brought me to see guruji, Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta, who took me under his wing and promised to make a sarod player out of me. That was a wonderful feeling, like being in the shade of a giant oak tree - protected, warm and nurturing.

You moved to London early in life and continued playing the sarod. Was it difficult to hold on to that discipline outside India?