Sarod Virtuoso Soumik Datta Blends Music, Cinema And Storytelling

London-based sarod exponent Soumik Datta has always believed in presenting shows that are out of the box. In his previous production Borderlands, premiered in London, he had focused on the human experience of displacement, tolerance and home, things that many Indians face while living abroad. He has now taken the topic even further through the show Travellers, which was recently presented at the G5A, Mahalaxmi. “It involved soundscapes and music compositions that try and dissolve lines that divide places, land, people and ideologies,” he said.

While Borderlands had included musicians of the London-based Philharmonia Orchestra, Travellers featured a set of dynamic musicians from India and the UK. Datta described his new show as a sort of ‘ear cinema’. He explained, “The seed inspiration is that of providing an experience that sounds like a film. If the audience closes their eyes, they can imagine the story just by listening to various sounds. The focus is on using a lot more field recordings and audio samples that weave in and out of the live band to create an uninterrupted experience.”

The show thus blended ambient soundscapes, spoken word and classical roots. The musicians belonged to the Hindustani, Carnatic and western streams. Besides Datta on sarod, the line-up featured Sayee Rakshith on violin, Nina Harries on bass, Debjit Patutundi on tabla, Sumesh Narayanan on mridangam and Hrith Dey on percussion, besides sound engineer Camilo Tirado.

Datta also organised a special worksho. “We invited 15 selected emerging musicians to explore their identities beyond being performers – as storytellers, problem-solvers and change-agents. Participants were guided on how to understand creativity and practise in a way that will have social impact.”

This was Datta’s second residency at G5A. In January 2024, he had presented Mone Rekho, a show about the relationship between music and memory, inspired by interactions with his late guru, sarod maestro Buddhadeb Das Gupta.

Born in Mumbai, Datta moved to London when he was 11 when his father shifted there. While they were unpacking, he found a box containing his late grandmother’s sarod. He recalls, “I began plucking it and was intrigued by the sound it created. I felt a connection, and I used the sarod as a connection with my Indian roots.”

Though he did his academic education in London, and later studied at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, he decided to learn sarod from Das Gupta. He says, “That would mean spending a lot of time in Kolkata, but it was totally worth it. Buddhadeb Da had taught three generations of students and had stopped taking beginners. But he made an exception in my case.”

Datta says that since Das Gupta had studied engineering, he had a very different approach to teaching. He explains, “It was very goal-oriented and he gave us rigorous exercises which we practised till he was satisfied. Our relationship was like grandfather and grandson. I respected him a lot and wanted to do well for him.”

Besides sarod, Datta was also interested in cinema from an early age. His mother Sangeeta Datta is a filmmaker, and as a teenager, he met directors, cinematographers and lyricists. He says, “Javed Akhtar Saab has been a constant with our family. By meeting such people, I also got interested in the importance of storytelling and in the visual medium.”

He points out that in order to communicate with a western audience, it is important to present music through methods they understand. Though he simultaneously does classical concerts, he is also thinking of new ideas to present his compositions. Borderlands and Travellers are two such instances.

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