
Amit and I did not have salaried jobs either. Susmit and Asheem left their jobs to be in the band full-time. Vocals began to be used more and more, and we brought a new dimension to sound. We kept composing, practicing and playing for ourselves. However, this had no immediate results in terms of concerts, contracts or money. Indian Ocean, the album, was recorded in Kolkata and sold over 40,000 copies within a year of its release, becoming the highest selling record by any Indian band ever. I joined the band in 1991 and Amit Kilam joined us later. For the next three years, every now and then, they jammed as a duo, Susmit on guitar and Asheem on tabla and drums -no vocals anywhere in sight. (Clockwise from left) Kilam, Sen, Chakravarty and Ram Indian Oceanīack in 1984, before most Indian Ocean fans were even born, Susmit Sen met Asheem Chakravarty during a concert. And today they are the most sought-after music directors in the industry. Rahman and then released his solo album and eventually ventured into music direction with Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa to form the famous trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Collaborations and jugalbandis provide an avenue that draws youngsters to classical music," he says.Īnother example shining bright is that of singer and music composer Shankar Mahadevan who gave up his nine to five job to pursue his passion (read music). "If you approach music in an interesting way, it will always find an audience. He also did an artist residency in Taipei imparting music to Taiwanese students.


The first Indian to perform at the German Bavarian Parliament in Munich in 2005, Bhatt has collaborated with several musicians in the past besides playing in solo concerts. If this wasn't enough, he recently released the album Mumbai to Munich where he collaborated with guitar player and composer Matthias Muller to create an Indo-German fusion album. Today he commands an audience of 20,000 people when he performs. These included two of his friends, the wife of the tabla player and four staff members of the IIC. A decade ago, seven was the number of listeners at Mohan Veena player Salil Bhatt's concert at the India International Centre (IIC).
