Evgeny Bushkov with wife Lialia - architect and painter - and daughter Michelle. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

It's a dull afternoon when we meet Evgeny Bushkov at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Nariman Point. In that moment, we are stirred from the dreariness triggered by the gloomy weather. We can't say what has got our attention more - his colourful puzzle-print shirt or that he shares an uncanny resemblance with English rocker Mick Jagger. When he regales us with an amusing vignette about a recent visit to Elephanta Islands and how the locals accosted his family for photos, we have to let him know that he could have simply been mistaken for a superstar.

But, the 70s rockstar look aside, Bushkov is also a leading doyen of Western classical music. In his home country Russia, where he has served in different capacities with the State Symphony Orchestra 'Novaya Rossiya' and Saratov Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Bushkov spearheaded programmes that were considered unconventional, if not path-breaking. With the 49-year-old completing six months as resident conductor for Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), the unusualness of his programmes are already the subject of chatter at the NCPA. Just last week, he introduced Classics, a one-of-its-kind concert for children and their families.