There’s nothing new about friends becoming business partners but when you have two engineers come together to start something that has nothing to do with what they studied, the results promise to be interesting. Shamik Kanaiya, a mechanical engineer and supply chain specialist at Infosys BPO, and Santosh Chandrashekhar, a software engineer, musician and karaoke jockey, have launched Busking Bandits, an art and music for all movement, in the city.
Shamik recounts: “Busking Bandits happened sometime in January when I was between jobs. Santosh and I felt that Bangalore has a great music culture but only within the confines of pubs and other music venues. We wanted to start a music/art for all movement and bring musicians and artists out on the streets and have them busk. We believe that art on the street will infuse life into the fast-paced city that Bangalore has become. For people, it is a quick fix, it slows them down, deletes their destination and brings them into the moment.” The two friends currently organise busking at Hoovina Haadi, MG Road, every alternate Sunday.
As of now, they have had two bands, Mahesh and the Mix and Hungry Generation, perform. They also plan to have artists from all genres and forms busk across the city. “We are looking at artists of different kinds from painters and jugglers to magicians and even bubble makers if there are any. Rangoli Metro Art Centre at the MG Road walkway has been pushing the cultural space and has been very supportive towards us by letting us use the space and also by providing the PA system. “We get the permissions and anything that the artistes needs so the artistes can focus on their performance. The artist can use this platform to reach out to people beyond his usual circle, we also make videos of these performances and put them up on our YouTube channel,” says Shamik.
Speaking of the challenges they have had to face in making their dream come true, Santosh explains: “We’re happy that Rangoli Metro Art Centre has supported the cause by letting us use the boulevard. We are also looking at other locations. Guruskool and Gopal Navale have been a huge support too. Permission to host is one of the biggest challenges because of a crowd gathering and associated security concerns. It will take time for the authorities to understand the importance of what we do and support us fully. Also, since we are funding the project ourselves, we are able to organise it only every fortnight. But we are working towards having this more frequently.”
In the coming days, Shamik says: “We would like to take what we do to different locations and bring in more art forms. Also take this across the country. The rest of the world has a great busking culture so why not India? We also want to petition to bring back the bandstands in the city and have art corners across Bangalore where these art forms can thrive. We are also gearing up for World Music Day in association with Rangoli Metro Art Centre and Guruskool run by Gopal Navale, on June 21, where musicians who want to perform can get in touch with us on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/buskingbandits) for a slot.”
This column features those who choose to veer off the beaten track
