5 things I learnt about Raghu Dixit.

For people who don’t know, there’s something like the “Times of India Literary Festival” going on at Mehboob Studios (Sunday was the last day). It was a actually quite a good event with sessions/seminars ranging from “How to lose weight” to discussions panels that included Sourav Ganguly and Vinod Mehta (albeit different panels). In the midst of this, Raghu Dixit and gang performed yesterday.

I managed to make it to the venue at around 8.40 pm right after watching Chelsea win against Newcastle and was happy to see that – 1) I had not missed much and 2) There was quite a bit of crowd at the venue and nearly half of them hardcore fans.

I had missed seeing the band at NH7 cause Pentagram was playing at the same time. But this being a good year for me *touchwood* , Raghu Dixit performed in Bandra yesterday (and will be again on the 10th at Bandra Fort)

I loved the music and the sheer joy you get out of seeing him perform. If the new songs he played are any indication, the second album is going to be stellar and definitely a must buy. You just had to dance and jump and smile a lot when that man is doing his thing on the stage. It’s seriously infectious.

So back to the title of the post. 5 things I learnt about Raghu Dixit and The Raghu Dixit Project :-

1. No one is safe from his roving eye – No not in a pervert way. He knows who is not dancing or singing the chorus when he asked. He asked a lady in the audience as to why she was not singing the Kannada lyrics and asked her why was she worrying. (The song translated to – Don’t worry be happy. But if you still want to worry I don’t give a damn)

2. He performed on a show along side Robert Plant and Adele – He performed in a ‘Late Night show with Jools Holland’ and on the same show Adele and Robert Plant has done their bit that evening. He sang the song “No man will ever love you like I do” (the cheesiest love song written by him, according to him) and it was that week that his album went to No.1 on the iTunes World Music Chart.

3. He gives credit where it is due – Inspite of being the face of the band, Raghu makes sure he gives the limelight to the person who deserves. Time and again he asked the audience to give it up for 19yr old flautist, Parth. This kid is an amazing talent and it was a joy to hear him blend his music with guitars.

4. Here is a guy who interacts with the audience – I don’t mean just talking to the audience. He not only lets people know the name of the song he is going to sing but also gives a little backstory as to what the song is about. This makes it easier for the audience to connect with the song even if they don’t understand the language.

5. He is extremely witty – He kept making jokes about the band members (and their names), how a free gig is just a rehearsal spot and you can’t blame him if he screwed up cause it is FREE, telling stories about their tours etc etc. His smile masks the steely resolve in his eyes. You better not mess with him. But at the same time seeing him, and all the other band members, smile while playing their music just makes them that more endearing.

TRDP is one of the most popular acts in India. They have managed to create an identity for themselves and bring their roots and influences in their music. I am not a big fan of fusion music but their mix of folk-rock music held me in raptures yesterday and in the process made me a fan. It was indeed an evening well spent.

p.s. Thank you Vishal-Shekhar for discovering this man!

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Kunal Pawar is looking forward to seeing his best friend return to India and is making all sorts of plans for the time she is here. The bands he missed out at NH7 have been playing in the city and for this reason he is very thankful for the year 2011. He is waiting nervously to see what Chelsea do against Valencia and Manchester City. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at kunal.pawar@gmail.com