Credit: Special arrangement
A 25-year-old professional tennis player is making an impact off the tennis courts through his music. Bengaluru-based Adil Kalyanpur, who has been playing since he was 5, uses his social media page (@adil.kalyanpur on Instagram) to highlight issues that Bengalureans commonly face.
“It started as a hobby,” Kalyanpur says of his music that falls under conscious or political rap. The hobby has now turned into a passion project, which often sees him collaborating with other artistes in the city.
Kalyanpur, who trained with Rafael Nadal at the latter’s academy in Spain, raps about issues such as women’s safety, Bengaluru’s traffic snarls, Bengaluru’s floods, and division caused by religion. “Women’s safety is important to me because I have seen my mother and sister taking extra precautions while stepping out of the house or while travelling. And I know what it feels like to be constantly worried about their safety,” he explains.
In one song, he talks about the life of an athlete and being on tour. “It’s a lonely journey, especially in individual sport. Through the song, I wanted to tell fellow athletes that they are not alone,” says Kalyanpur.
His writing process is “fairly straightforward”. Sometimes a random thought strikes him and he writes two to three songs in one shot. Other times, he goes without writing for two weeks. He spends five to six hours a week on his music, usually during the evenings when he is not travelling, or if he is on tour, while waiting at airports.
Mental health, something he has grappled with in the past, is another important topic he tackles through his music. In a song, posted on World Mental Health Day (October 10), he raps, ‘Dear brothers, it’s okay to cry, it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to feel certain emotions, you’re not a weak man’.
He started posting his music in 2020 and even created a profile on Spotify which has a few of his songs. “A couple of record labels too reached out to me, but it did not work out for various reasons,” he recalls.
He currently has over 30,000 followers and is focused on raising awareness. “Whatever money I make as a content creator is donated to charity,” he shares.
Currently, at 268 in the ATP world rankings (doubles), Kalyanpur, whose focus is on the doubles format of tennis, hopes to play as many Grand Slams as possible this year. He also hopes to dedicate more time to his sports centre, Racketeers, located in Whitefield.