Making music and spreading its love among people is my dream and mission.
By Raghav Puri
Guitar is an integral part of me. Ever since my childhood, music has been my sole strength of inspiration and passion. I started playing guitar at the age of 9, and indubitably regard it as one of the best decisions of my life. I love the way this instrument sounds, and that’s what led me into it. I was blessed to have many mentors to guide my playing throughout the journey; but that’s not all! What made me better was my own ‘dedication’ and ‘will’ to play this beautiful instrument.
I jammed with other musicians, formed bands, made my own music and covered challenging riffs. A lot of opportunities came my way through band and solo competitions which enabled me to work harder and crave learning.
The best part of all is the incredible support I’ve always received from my family. From bearing the initial days of cacophony to boosting my confidence, my parents supported me wholeheartedly. Without their efforts, I would have stayed stagnant. They found the best teachers for me- Mr. Gussy Rikh, Mr. Yaman Shastri and Mr. Maxwell Peters who nurtured and fine tuned my playing.
I happen to be an ardent fan of progressive rock, jazz and metal. My inspiration is the overwhelming desire to make music and spread its love among people. I enjoy playing with polyrhythms and odd time signatures as they are extremely fascinating and sound brilliant. It’s the ‘technicality’ and ‘feel’ which drives me further into such genres, thereby helping me explore my creative mind.
My first performance was at a Music festival in 2011 at my school, St. Columba’s which provided me a robust platform. That’s when I realized the power of ‘music’, and the extent of happiness it can bring to people. Thereon, my journey began and I started playing at inter-school competitions. In St. Columba’s school, I was guided by Mr. Macdonald Samuel who also helped me in forming a band. Under his astute guidance, ‘progressing’ was inevitable, and the fire in me kept raging. My practice sessions increased, and so did my desire to improve each day. Blisters and bleeding fingers miserably failed to stop me.
The opportunity of teaching students at my college, Shiv Nadar University (SNU) was given to me under the Student Mentor Program (SMP) of Snuphoria- the music society of SNU; a wonderful experience indeed. I’ve performed in many college fests in Delhi which includes my solo performances at IIT Delhi and NIFT. I’m currently a part of 2 bands: Asteroids (Shiv Nadar University) and Karmic Police. We’ve performed, and emerged triumphant in many Battle of Bands including Delhi University fests with our unique and ‘out of the box’ compositions.
Presently, I am working on solo projects which I shall be releasing soon. Music production is a source of boundless joy and bliss for me. With the world changing at a fast pace, the perception of music too stands poised to change. I dream big and believe in bringing about a positive change in people’s life through music. I aspire to learn with each song I make, play music throughout my life and share it with more and more people. There is something magical which keeps it flowing with feel, and I’m never going to stop making it. The universe is a grand place with millions of mysteries. Of course, I can’t know all of them, but music helps me unravel a few.
It needs a strong will to follow your heart for treading the path “less chosen”. Those who dare to swim against the tide, and manage reaching the other side of the shore are the ones who carve a niche for them. Through my Music, I wish to spread the message of peace, love and harmony.
