A Myriad World of Swaras!

Renowned Classical-World musician and composer Dr. Prakash Sontakke gives Sriram Ravishankar a peak into his world of swaras, his journey as a Hindustani Classical musician into becoming one of the most well known names in the International circuit as an Indian cross-over artist, and much more..

- Sriram Ravishankar

Tell us more about your beginnings as a musician

Coming from a family of musicians, my mother Dr Mani Sontakke and father Dr Mani Sontakke were incredible educators with a very open mind deep rooted in tradition. My first discovery of Michael Jacksons “Thriller” was the discovery of the fact that if you can read the musical notes then the entire music of the world is the same. It so happened that when my Dad heard me sneaking in the cassette and listening to the first Bass riff of the song, he walked into the room and asked me for the Swara pattern of that Bass Riff and later on when I did that he said “Now isn’t this song in Raag Bheempalasi?” This one statement opened up the doors of the most beautiful world of swaras and how there is swara in everything for me.

Your influences and what drove you towards World music