They may not be the most popular musicians in the country yet. But, they definitely are some of the most exciting acts to watch out for. Hailing from the far North-eastern corners of Nagaland

to the Alpha world city of Mumbai to the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal — their music isn’t confined to any physical boundaries. Though, vastly different from each other musically, what connects these acts is their undying passion and commitment to music and a new found success after years of slogging hardships. They have also successfully crossover from independent music scene to commercial spheres without compromising on their originality.

Sanjeev Thomas (Chennai)
He is better known as A.R. Rahman’s guitarist. But Sanjeev Thomas is much more than that. He is the founder of some of the funkiest bands of yesteryears: Buddha Blown, Buddha’s Babies and Rainbow Bridge. He is also the country’s first composer of a rock opera — Fallen (2004). With the release of Free Will (Sanjeev’s first solo album) earlier this year, the guitarist finally ventured solo.
“It was a constant struggle to find myself in the state I was — caught between my allegiance to rock and my dawn into the other genres of music. Finally I decided that I would do what I truly just felt like doing,” he says.
In the recent past Sanjeev had sung and played the guitar for music directors like Pritam, Anu Malik, Deepak Dev and G.V. Prakash. He even gave his voice for the soundtrack of a Tamil film, Vinnaithandi Varuvaya. hough Sanjeev’s tryst with film music started six years ago when he composed for a Bollywood feature film — Bheema — which unfortunately didn’t see the light of the day.
“Today, I am older and wiser. I think it is the perfect time to make an entry into the world of feature films as a music composer,” he reveals.
It was a phone call that changed his life. “I got a call from A.R. Rahman (around four years ago). He said, ‘This is A.R. Rahman.’ I wanted to tell him, ‘Yes and I am the president of the United States,’” he laughs adding, “Since then, I have played the guitar in almost all his movies from Aazhagiya Tamilmagan to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na to Endhiran.”

Niladri Kumar (Mumbai)
The creator of something as unique as a ‘zitar’ (five stringed electronic sitar) can’t be anything but special. Niladri Kumar belongs to the modern generation of classical musicians who have infused interest and respect for the genre among the younger generation. How does he do it? By experimenting with the genre, creating sounds groovy enough for the ears of Gen Y without compromising his classical roots.
“This made me look into the electric version of the sitar, as the traditional sitar couldn’t offer me such sound,” he reveals.
In the past Kumar has collaborated with big names like jazz maestro John McLaughlin (Floating Point), Jonas Hellborg and V. Selvaganesh (Kali’s So), Zakir Hussain (masters of percussion tour) among others. He also won MTV Immies award for the best classical and fusion instrumental. With more than 10 albums (solo and collaborations) to his credit, Kumar had decided to try his luck in Bollywood. He lent his talents for scores of films like Bunty Aur Bubli, Dhoom 2, Life in a Metro and Gangster.
But of late it is his project Sitar Funk, an amalgamation of diverse Indian musical gharanas with world music styles, through imaginative experiments, that keeps him busy. “Our music is mostly impromptu. It is also an outlet to express the technical talents of my band mates. At the same time, the music is something that youngsters get the feel of and go back home with a wonderful aftertaste,” he adds.

Divine Connection (Nagaland)
The Christian rock band from Nagaland made its début at the Dream Café in Kohima in 2004. Today, they are one of the hottest acts in the country, courtesy their emphatic victory at the MTV Rock On Desi Beats 2010. The lads, who initially spoke broken Hindi, went on to win the competition, performing mostly covers of Bollywood and other Hindi songs (one of the conditions of the competition).
“Rock On was one of the hardest competitions we ever participated in,” says Mhathung Odyuo Lotha, the bassist of the band. Not being well versed in Hindi was not their sole problem. Getting used to other factors like the duration of the competition (which ran for months), coping with stress, culinary and cultural differences was ‘painstaking’.
“At first other bands were like, ‘Are you serious about participating in Hindi?’ Thankfully, after the first shoot we got a positive response. Obed (vocalist) had to memorise so many new complicated words which to him was like appearing for a Hindi exam every week,” he adds.
Winning the contest changed their fortunes. Apart from bagging a year long record deal with MTV, the band was also offered a music video and a concert deal. “We had to struggle a lot initially,” adds Mhathung revealing, “There are no corporate shows back home, save a few. It’s our passion that kept us going and our faith that someday our ship will surely dock.”

Nikhil D’Souza (Mumbai)
His original works are a huge hit in Bollywood. The voice behind Shaam (Aisha), Dil Titli (airtel commercial), and several other hits especially from Anjaana Anjaani and Break ke Baad, is not only a playback singer but also spearheads a successful band.
“My music is intense, melodic and lyrical, loosely in the alternative/folk style. They are songs and tunes that are based on personal emotions,” he says.
It began in late 2009 when music director Amit Trivedi approached Nikhil to sing a few songs for him after hearing him sing Dil Titli. This was followed by offers from Vishal Dadlani and Pritam (to sing Mere Bina from Crook). “The song turned out to be quite popular, and I got calls from quite a few music directors to record with them,” he says.
Currently, Nikhil is busy composing music, though some of his Bollywood projects are still in the early production stage. “I’m also working on an album, and if all goes well, I’ll have it done by mid-year,” he reveals.
For the singer though, a serious career in music was never a serious option till a few years ago. “After college, I took up a regular job,” he reveals. But while doing a lucrative yet monotonous job in the Middle East, he realised his true calling.
“I figured that I had to do something in the field of music while I still had age on my side,” he says. Getting back to music wasn’t easy especially to reconnect with musicians he’d lost touch with. After arriving in Mumbai, he played whatever small gigs came his way while sending out demos to ad music directors. “I guess working your way back into a close-knit industry takes a while, but thankfully, enough people know about me now and work comes along much more often,” he adds.