My name is like my music: Prem Joshua

A couple of years ago when Prem Joshua performed at a private concert in Russia he had the most bizarre experience ldquoThere were members of the Russian mafia in the audience sitting with their sunglasses on just like in the moviesrdquo laughs the musician He also remembers the heartstopping moment when one of the gangsters climbed onto the stage after the concert ldquoHe came right over slid his glasses down his nose and looked me straight in the eye I almost froze and he said lsquoYou touched my heartrsquo I think that was something really specialrdquo he grinsPrem Joshua says he would not mind composing for Bollywood only as long as he gets to do what he wants PicBipin KokateThe homecomingThe multiinstrumentalist and composer from Germany who took on the name lsquoPremrsquo after his first visit to India in 1977 calls the country the ldquohome of his soulrdquo When we tell him that the name is often associated with protagonists portrayed by one of Bollywoodrsquos biggest superstars on the big screen he raises his eyebrows in surprise ldquoReally I didnrsquot know thatrdquo he shrugs Adopting the Indian name came naturally to the musician who shuttles between Goa and Italy when not on world toursldquoMy name is like my musicrdquo he explains ldquoItrsquos fusion itrsquos a mixture mdash Prem and Joshuardquo he smiles But ask him whether people give him quizzical looks on hearing his name and he shakes his head ldquoStrangely people donrsquot seem to wonder much I guess itrsquos as strange as seeing a Westerner play the sitar and flute and play music which is raagabased So why not have a strange name as wellrdquo he quips The musician who gravitated to India during his teenage years studied Indian classical music under sitar maestro Ustad Usman Khan However Joshua says he always knew he didnrsquot want to specialise in the genre ldquoI love Indian music but I like to give it a global touch My passion lies in bringing cultures togetherrdquo adds the artisteAnd that is exactly what Prem Joshua amp Band do Their music is inspired by ancient traditions of the Indian subcontinent even as they have their finger on the pulse of contemporary Western music scene With more than 18 albums to his credit the 56yearold artistersquos music transcends borders and today Joshua is the number one bestselling World Music artiste in IndiaWe hesitate to use the overused word lsquofusionrsquo to describe his music Instead we ask him for suggestions and he guffaws ldquoI have been looking for that short sentence for years and never found itrdquo Prod him a bit more and the artiste replies ldquoIrsquove been using the word lsquocrossoverrsquo for sometime now only because itrsquos less worn out than fusionrdquoFuture projectsIn August last year Joshua released his latest album Kashi Songs from the India Within In the album which was a slight departure from his earlier more instrumental albums Joshua has composed music using famous shlokas and mantras ldquoMy colleague Chintan Relenberg who is also the producer of the album suggested that we try this I was hesitant at first because itrsquos a clear devotional statement the recording went quite smoothlyrdquo he says adding that he doesnrsquot dwell on a project once itrsquos complete ldquoEven painters do that Once theyrsquore done with a painting they move on to the nextrdquo he saysSo what is he currently working on ldquoWersquore gathering new material for a band album We are working on new tracks Itrsquos quite excitingrdquo he addsHaving performed for dignitaries such as UKrsquos Prince Edward at the Royal Palace in London in 2007 and the then President of India Pratibha Patil in 2008 and at music festivals such as Shantipi Festival Israel 2008 Big Chill Festival UK 2009 Glastonbury Festival UK 2009 to International Yog Festival Rishikesh 2013 we ask him to choose the gig that left him most satisfied ldquoA lot of people think that the biggest performance would be the most satisfying or that playing for somebody really famous would be the best thing to happen But sometimes a small concert with a listening audience mdash an audience that is with you mdash can be much better Thankfully I have had many such experiencesrdquo smiles JoshuaYet lsquosatisfiedrsquo is a term Joshua prefers to use cautiously ldquoSatisfaction is something you have to feel within yourself be it through music or anything else Am I satisfied Yes I am but as an artiste I canrsquot afford to get too satisfied There is always this sense that I can do better and that therersquos more to say through music I feel I have only scratched the surface and there are more depths to explorerdquo he concludesPrem Joshua amp Band will perform at Hard Rock Cafeacute Worli on January 22 at 830 pm Log on to wwwbookmyshowcomfor tickets