Banging Indian fusion

Dabbling between jewellery making and music, Vivek Kiran Parshotam has travelled far and wide as a multi-talented percussionist and has had the privilege of accompanying some of the most revered and internationally acclaimed Indian musicians.

Parshotam said his knack for music started off when he would drum on a kitchen table top when he was just three years old and his father first recognised the soulful resonance in his son’s drumming spurring a vision for Parshotam’s musical future to take root. A devotional folk singer himself, Parshotam’s father set out to help him develop and master the skill of playing the ‘tabla’, a North-Indian classical percussion instrument, and encouraged him to attend almost every prayer meeting where songs of the soul were sung, and he sent him to learn from local tabla players who had studied the instrument abroad.

“The tabla is an instrument I was brought up playing in my family home and the music industry. It’s my first instrument. The tabla is also very ethnic and traditional for me because it’s my roots – with most of my music I try my best to incorporate the tabla,” he said.

Parshotam’s musical journey with the tabla has taken him on gigs across South Africa and in 2006, when he met worldrenowned Nasheed singer and Zain Bhikha, his musical career took a more profound direction. Zain Bhikha invited Parshotam to travel abroad as his percussionist which afforded him the chance to perform in numerous countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Touring with professional musicians, he frequently visited the United Kingdom (UK) where he has had the honour to perform in iconic theatres. Parshotam said the highlight of his tenure in the UK was when he performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2006 and 2008, respectively.

Although a jewellery designer by profession, Parshotam said music was his passion and first love but he still takes both sides of his life seriously and has found a balance that complements a simple life. The balance has seen him release his debut single, The Beginning, while taking his design company to greater heights.

“I might not be the best at what I do, but I try my best at what I can do,” he said.

With his heart for Indian classical and fusion music, he’s been inspired to create a unique instrumental piece using simple percussion sounds with a blend of sounds heard on his debut. He has also played the tabla with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Pretoria Orchestra, experiences that have elevated his musical profile and earned him the reputation of a highly respected and successful musician in his own country. Parshotam said he was working on a follow-up single with a little Indian fusion and techno feel – a single he anticipates will resonate with everyone, regardless of creed, tradition or colour.

“Music shouldn’t be seen as a one-sided thing or belonging to one tradition. It’s universal and has a universal language.”