Indian Ocean 2.0

After more than 25 years of playing with Indian Ocean,founder member and guitarist Susmit Sen moves on to find a new musical identity for himself; filling his large shoes is 26-year-old Nikhil Rao.

Written by Suanshu Khurana

June 13, 2013 02:07 AM IST

4 min read

Back in the 90s,the concept of a band was only rearing its head in India and Aramaic wasnt a language those wearing Woodstock blinkers knew. But the moment four folk rockers,who called themselves Indian Ocean,walked in with their song,Kandisa,at a college concert in the Capital,five thousand-odd homebodies with limbs pounding and hearts chanting gave the song a cult status. Indian Ocean would go on to become one of Indias most creative acts. At the helm of affairs were founder members Susmit Sen on the guitars,and vocalist and percussionist Asheem Chakravarty. The other two were bassist Rahul Ram and percussionist Amit Kilam. Be it Sens signature sax riffs,Rams energetic vocals,Chakravartys mellifluous voice or Kilams devastating drumming,the four musicians gave the nation a band that sang what people understood.

After more than 25 years of being in Indian Ocean,Sen has decided to call it quits. I want to continue with my creative process. I am brimming with more compositions,more music but in a grammar and style that is different from Indian Ocean. One has to move forward in life. I have been wanting to concentrate more on my solo projects apart from a host of other production projects and of course,my other band Susmit Sen Chronicles, says Sen,who released his solo album,Depths of the Ocean,in 2011.

Contemporary Indian music and Indian Ocean seem to have lost a bit of soul after Chakravarty passed away. As for their fans,Sens exit from Indian Ocean is likely to garner mixed reviews. Every band as old as us goes through the classic trap of doing well,getting popular and not being able to break out later. We all have spent some great times together. But at the same time I think it is a welcome change. It is a good decision for Susmit, says Kilam. Ram,however,feels that Sen stopped enjoying playing with the band long ago. Its good that it has happened because I believe in enjoying music. Then of course,he did not want to travel as much for concerts. So we had known this for a while, says Ram,who reveals that Sen wanted to do more of instrumental music and that is not something which could be done being in the band.

Among the crowds that attended regular Indian gigs in the past decade was also an aspiring musician,Nikhil Rao a trained Hindustani and Carnatic vocalist,who liked playing the guitar. After he heard Kandisa,he took almost a year to master every riff that resonated from Sens guitar. Rao has now been roped in to fill in the large shoes of Sen. I was more than weary of taking up this opportunity. The expectations that come with being the lead guitarist of a two-decade-old band is massive. They are known for their signature sound. But no two guitarists can sound the same. Susmit has been around,mentoring me for some months now. I hope I will be appreciated, says 26-year-old Rao. Nikhil has been Susmits understudy for a while and is extremely promising. I hope it will go well, says Ram.

As for Sen,he will be a part of Indian Oceans tour which will take place around the release of the bands coffee table book. Its been a fantastic journey. My moving on will be beneficial for both Indian Ocean and my creative expression, says Sen.

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Indian Ocean Susmit Sen