Susmit Sen, one of the founding members of Indian Ocean band and founder of Susmit Sen Chronicles - the band he is currently a part of – recently performed for the first time in Rishikesh at the International Yoga Festival. When Doon Times caught up with him, the guitarist and vocalist said, “We are touring, performing and composing new music, so there is a lot in the pipeline. A new member, Melin, joined the band this year, who is an expert in western classical music. So, we are working on blending western classic tunes with our original music.” He also talked about his fond memories from the state, his first professional performance in Roorkee and the significance of Uttarakhandi music in his tracks.Susmit Sen with other members of his band, Susmit Sen ChroniclesSusmit said that as a child, he often used to visit Rishikesh and Haridwar with his family. He added, “I have visited Uttarakhand several times. I remember coming to this place as a six-year-old boy and going around places like Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula in Rishikesh. I have gone for trekking in Kumaon and Gau Mukh. Apart from a few areas like Pithoragarh, I have been to almost every major region in Uttarakhand. I have fond memories of all the trips to Uttarakhand, and that is one of the reasons why I keep revisiting it.”Susmit said, “In 1986, I did my first professional show at an engineering college in Roorkee. This was way before we formed the Indian Ocean. I have played a lot of times in Doon. I have performed at Virasat , at least five times, and at other events too. Though it was for the first time that I performed at International Yoga Festival, the bond with the state has been really strong.”‘a lot has to be done to take the local music to a global platform’Sushmit said, “I remember at Virasat, a popular folk singer from the state, Narendra Singh Negi performed and got a good response. Individually, these artists are doing a great job but to take the entire Garhwali and Kumaoni music industry to a global platform, a lot of work has to be done.” He added, “We have done a few songs with Garhwali touch to them and have received a great response whenever we have performed them. We do not use lyrics with regional dialects as not everyone understands them but it is the power of Uttarakhandi music that helps people to connect with these tracks.”Talking about the current state of music content in Bollywood, he says, “We need to create something new and the audience needs to ask composers to not just serve them rehashed music but some fresh content. The responsibility also like with the media. For instance, if Shah Rukh Khan lip-syncs at a concert and a folk musician performs at the same concert, who will get more coverage? Shah Rukh, for sure! So, there lies the responsibility of media, too, to promote folk musicians. Give them the respect and recognition they deserve, and only then we will get some fresh, good music in Bollywood as well.”

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