BENGALURU: New projects, collaborations and compositions... An experienced and eminent percussionist like Bickram Ghosh has seen it all during his years as a musician. But certain projects still evoke the same excitement as the first one. For his most-recent project, Ghosh has collaborated with Bengaluru-based musician, Ricky Kej to create a score for the Republic Day Parade 2022. Vande Bharatam will be played at Rajpath, New Delhi.
Ghosh has been an Oscar contender and Kej is a Grammy-award winner. The 12-minute track is already in the limelight with much buzz surrounding it. It might sound like a well-planned cast, but Ghosh says even he had no idea what was in store. “Even though I had known Ricky, we had never collaborated. We had met at a dinner in Kolkata, and within 3-4 days, we received calls from the Ministry of Culture. It seemed serendipitous,” laughs Ghosh.
The Kolkata-based percussionist revealed that due to the pandemic, Kej and he could not meet but were in sync while composing the tune. “We didn’t have much time on hand. When Omicron hit, my plans of
coming to Bengaluru or Ricky coming to Kolkata went for a toss. The song was made over innumerable calls,” says Gosh, revealing that as artistes, they had no moments of contradiction.
Vande Bharatam, for Ghosh, is not just a piece of music. “There are four parts to the song, and the first and last parts are the songs. Sugata Guha wrote the song. I personally enjoy the start of the project because it is full of possibilities. And if you have a sense of chemistry with the person you are working with, then the process is completely smooth sailing,” says Ghosh.
In Ghosh’s words, the song is a kaleidoscope of Indian music. “The instrumental part is very elaborate with the veena, sitar, pakhawaj and ghatam. You can find the entire soundscape of India, including folk tunes. The song also has a fusion sound board, which Ricky and I are known for,” says Ghosh, who has been a regular visitor to Bengaluru for his performances, until the pandemic hit. He is hoping to come to the city in March for a concert.