In Symphony for 20 years and still buzzing

For the last two decades, Nishad orchestra has been turning occasions into memories. The rising popularity of DJs has hardly made a dent in their popularity.

One reason for this is the commitment of the members who have been making music together for more than 20 years. “Live music will never lose its charm.

The difference between a live orchestra and recorded music is same as the difference between a play and a movie. Even the top musicians nowadays try to create magic by playing an accordion or a saxophone.

The trend of live music is coming back, says Chandrashekhar Mahamuni, who founded Nishad.

“Music is in my genes and I was born listening to various ragas,” adds Mahamuni, who has shared the stage with various eminent singers like Suresh Wadkar, Asha Bhosale, Vaishali Samant and Sudesh Bhosale.

He believes in entertaining the masses with his mesmerising voice. His father Padmakar was a sitar and tabla player, from whom Chandrashekhar learnt about music.

Since 1980, Mahamuni had been performing various shows in the city. But when he met a group of like-minded people, he thought of forming a musical troupe in 1990. “It gave me freedom to implement my new concepts in music,” he says. Interestingly, the nine members with whom he started the group are still with him.

The founder members include flautist Amar Oak, tabla player Girish Mahamuni, rhythm player Kedar More, Nikhil Mahamuni on the keyboard, compere Abhay Gokhale, rhythm player Nitin Shinde, vocalists Medha Chandwadkar and Ashwini Kurpe and percussionists Abhijit Bhade and Rajendra Salunke.

Kurpe, who did her bachelors in music from SNDT, started singing when she was nine years old. “We are like one big family. We just don’t sing for the sake of singing. Our aim lies in entertaining the masses. By performing together for so many years we have developed an excellent tuning among us. We enjoy a lot during our rehearsals and tours,” adds Kurpe.

Bhade says even after two decades of performing together, the team still has a lot to learn from each other. “Our experience has been good so far and I can say Mahamuni gave me a break during my initial years,” adds Bhade.

Gokhale who hails from Puntamba in Ahmednagar district has been the compere for this group since it was formed. He feels that holding audience attention is important.

“I have to keep interacting with the audience and have a quick sense of humour. The level of understanding in our group is good and we can read each other’s mind,” says Gokhale.