Rocking the raaga

A pioneer who changed the face of Indian classical music and made it appeal to a larger audience, Abhijit Pohankar is also a music producer, composer, singer and Indian classical keyboardist. For, he is someone who has music in his blood, being the son of renowned classical vocalist Pandit Ajay Pohankar.

“My musical journey started with my family. I have grown up around musicians at home. My father, a child prodigy himself, was introduced to the music world by renowned artiste Ustad Amir Khan and was well established when I was born. Growing up in Jabalpur, I was used to seeing greats like Begum Aktar among others at home. I believe music is all about the right sanskaar and I had that from my parents as well as my grandmother, Dr Sushila Pohankar, who was from the Kirana Gharana. I started listening and also singing in the early ‘90s,” he says. His quest to do something different led him to experiment with playing Indian classical music on the keyboard.

He also took up training in instrumental style of Indian music from Santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and adopted his sounds on the keyboard as well. His first album, Deeper Zone, was released in 1998. He hit the big league with his new age fusion album, Piya Bavri, in 2002 that went on to become one of the most popular non-film songs that ruled the MTV charts for several weeks. The song was also played at the famed Buddha Bar in France. His music combines elements of Indian traditional music fused with lounge and world music sounds. “The basic thing is that classical music is heard by the classes and not masses, but it has a huge potential and I believed that it must reach the common man. By making the sounds peppier and more interesting, even the youth are engaged.
But what I am clear about is that melody must be intact and not be tampered with,” he explains. Incidentally, he is one of the first musicians to make Indian classical music accessible to youngsters and is the pioneer of Indian raaga lounge music.

Abhijit has produced almost 20 albums and has several more compilations to his credit. A keen performer, he has had several concerts across India and abroad. “While there is not much difference between performing abroad and at home, I noticed that there is a lot more respect for classical music abroad and it is heard much more. Performing live is something I love since the vibe is completely different and it’s magical to perform in front of a live audience. I remember a performance in Cape Town in South Africa in 2006 which had an audience of over 2,000 people.”

His new album, Thumri Funk, is a fusion of traditional, age-old thumris with contemporary arrangements and a few world music instruments keeping the soul of the thumri intact. “I have always tried to make classical and semi-classical music cool for the youth as well as give a fresh sound for traditional listeners. With the voice of my father, which is so full of emotions and expressions, it is even more amazing,” he says.

He is currently working on his new album, Ghazal Funk, which will be released over the next couple of months, with songs sung by Roop Kumar Rathod. “Ghazal is my first love. For me, fusion is not about being loud and noisy.” Currently, he is also working on a spiritual, fusion album which will feature aspects of chakras and kundalis. He has also composed the title track of the film Boom, directed by Kaizad Gustad in 2003. “I will definitely do more movies but I won’t change my style of music and my sound. A movie is definitely on the cards,” he says. Along with his father, he has also recently started The Pohankars’ Gurkul to continue the musical heritage that he has inherited. The versatile singer hopes to perform more in Bengaluru as he feels that the city’s denizens have a fine ear for music. Tune into him for soulful music that is both contemporary and appealing.