'I don't plan my performances'

Strings Attached

He was in his teens when a beautiful young German lady walked into his house with a guitar in hand. That did the trick. “I was attracted to both the guitar and the lady. I thought I would Indianise the lady at first, but then I settled for Indianising the guitar, that’s how the Mohan Veena was conceived,” says Bhatt . The Mohan Veena has 20 strings as against the normal guitar that has six strings. “The Mohan Veena is the merging of the sitar, sarod, veena and the sarangi. It is an amalgamation of sorts. This instrument sustains sound for a longer time,” he explains.

This instrument brings out all kinds of moods — sorrow, joy and happiness. “An ideal instrument evolves, feels and expresses a musician’s sensitivity. It cleanses the body, mind and soul,” he adds.

Bhatt’s concerts are never pre-planned. He’s forgotten the last time he rehearsed before a concert. “I get on the stage and look at the audience and perform according to the mood around me. My music is all improvised, I can never predict what I would play,” he says. Time and tradition have not sullen Mohan’s thinking for he takes no offence to reality shows. “These shows do well to pick new talent. I enjoy watching these shows minus all the drama that happens on stage, as in, the parents, boyfriends and girlfriends pouring on to the stage to garner sympathy for the contestant. I mute the television set when all the drama is happening and switch to normal mode only when the contestant performs,” he says.

Fusion, he believes, is a global language that must be popularised and promoted among the people. “A lot of people run down fusion calling it contamination. But I think one requires a lot of imagination and creativity to make fusion music,” he observes.

It’s the cosmopolitan crowd that attracts Bhatt to perform in Bangalore. “People are not only receptive but they make you feel wanted at the end of it,” he
signs off.