Thirty-year-old Varun Zinje is a very different man. For starters, in spite of being very modern and urban, he plays the Morchang, a traditional mouth-harp that has origins dating back to about 1,500 years ago. Secondly, he has very strong views on music, something which he tells his audiences during his talks. Varun is trying to resurrect the art of playing the Morchang through his performances and through social media. “Not too many people are playing it now, so I’m trying to revive that culture,” he says. Being immersed in music since his childhood, Varun played the guitar and drums. He picked up the Morchang much later in life. “There’s no particular time when I fell in love with the Harp, but I’ve been in love with music for a long, long time,” he said, minutes before he addressed students at IIT-Madras’ Saarang. Varun uploads videos of him paying the Morchang on his channel Morchang wala on a regular basis. Talking about how he strives to create awareness about the harp, he says, “I’ve spoken at TED, and that’s how it all started. I’ve spoken with Godrej, Tata and at other places where I share my love for music and my approach towards it.”
In keeping with his choice of instrument, his profession too is as unconventional as possible. “I facilitate something called drum circles for corporates. What happens is there will be about 200 people, and I have to teach them how to play a drum. People who aren’t musically inclined are there, it’s a mixed group.”