Music is like a river. It moves through time, traditions, land and languages. It remembers while constantly shape shifting to fit in everywhere. However, with this effortless, constant flow also comes the need for substantial value. The understanding of music must saturate its path with great depth so that its flow doesn’t disperse into nothingness.

Whether it is the diversity of it that you find in the vastness of India, or the rest of the world, Music refuses to stay confined to style or genre and better thrives in its universality. And thus, for many musicians, learning is never linear. One’s music is a mosaic of many different elements from around their world. Composer and lead performer for his band The Unemployeds, Mithun Eshwar reflects upon the fluidity of his approach and says, “Some people are passionate about learning languages. For me, the same passion translates as learning different genres of music.” For him, his music is found through exploration, expression and the understanding that it is boundless.

This brings with it a very important aspect of artistry- Foundation. To flourish in this freedom, one must form a strong base. And to best express an amalgamation, you must know at the very least, one part of it indisputably. For that, our Indian classical traditions, offer not only repertoire, but also discipline. “They train the ear, heighten sensitivity, and instil a great deal of patience.” Popularly known as the walking violinist, the revered artist Aneesh Vidhyashankar, speaks of this grounding with a lot of insistence and certainty.

“Indian classical music gives you a very strong base. It teaches you that practice is of paramount importance. Once you understand ragas, talas and the overall structuring of it, you can play almost any genre in the world. And when you know how to do that, you also know how not to.”

That foundation, only comes with a great deal of resilience and relentlessness. Aneesh recalls being trained to respect the smallest details:

“My father was very particular about perfection, especially intonation. On the violin, even a millimetre makes a difference. That discipline shaped everything I do.”
In a day where spotlight obsession blurs away the need for grounding, it is precisely this attentiveness that allows music to remain concrete rather than disposable.

As context shifts to performance, so must the way music is presented. Today, performance is immersive, visual, and interactive unlike times where it was introspective and purposive. Aneesh identified this shift, especially while observing musicians perform in public spaces abroad.

“Earlier, classical musicians didn’t perform at festivals, open-air events, automobile openings, or wedding entrances. When I started doing that, with fusion music let alone classical, it was new and intriguing but people easily connected. Audiences today want that experience.”

Adapting to this reality required rethinking how tradition could move. Before implementing it and adding to it technicalities and other elements, Aneesh practiced walking and playing for nearly a year bringing a natural alignment between the body and music. He says, “The violin is no separate from me. It has become a part of my entirety.”
For Mithun, adaptation plays out largely in the studio and the compositional process. Working across films, independent music, and live performance, he sees balance as essential.

“Music that is easily curated connects very quickly with today’s audience, but I always try to blend classical ideas into it. That balance between tradition and modern sound is important to me.”

Independent music, he adds, becomes a space for experimentation, where ideas can evolve without pressure.

Still, evolution brings its own challenges. Technology has lowered barriers to creation, but it has also blurred the line between assistance and complete curation.

“Technology is growing rapidly,” Mithun cautions, “but it shouldn’t replace creation.”

Without understanding, convenience risks the void of expression.
What both musicians return to, repeatedly, is the idea of growth, measured not based on output, but based off of awareness.
What unites artists across genres today is not the instrument they play or the styles they represent, but their relationship with learning. Aneesh speaks of adapting without debasing, while Mithun emphasises growth without ego. “If you think you know everything, or if you think you know nothing,” Mithun reflects, “Your growth stops.” The statement applies as much to music as it does to life. Aneesh stresses on the importance of having guidance in form of a teacher “To learn sincerely and have someone actively give you feedback, advice, correction and the likes is crucial. Experience is a factor one must consider. To have someone much more experienced than you guide you is a privilege that once should be grateful for”.

In a world saturated with sound, music still finds meaning when it remembers why it began: not to impress, but to connect and that is something that we must carry with us throughout our journey as musicians, connoisseurs or mere spectators.