Soumik Datta

London-based sarod maestro Soumik Datta is busy prepping for his show, Back to the Blues, slated to be performed at the St John Smith Tour in London on March 15. He is collaborating with prominent Carnatic vocalists and Padma Shri awardee Aruna Sairam for this one, and has been on Skype calls with her for the past six months, ahead of next week's performance. "At the heart of it, what we are trying to say is that regardless of where we come from - south of India, or the UK - what connects us is expression, and that's possible through music. I am hoping what comes out of this is a sound and language that is whole and unanimous," he tells us over the phone from London.