Thank you - for all the inspiration

Considering I haven't updated the blog recently, I thought of cross-posting the following from a Facebook status update.

Almost three decades ago, my dad, who's a semi-professional mridangam player, gave me some lessons in mridangam, hoping that I would take it up as an instrument. I wasn't particularly interested in mridangam or Carnatic classical then and did not persist with it. Instead, I started tinkering with the Indian flute (inspired partly by my uncle, who wasa professional flautist) because I was more interested in popular music

Two decades ago, I picked up the guitar after being coaxed into it by my sister Vidhya Venkitachalam. Around then, I started jamming with my friend Sumit Pillai on drums, also picking up basic drumming concepts. After a couple of years with the guitar, I bought myself my first bass, starting my journey as a bass player. I have weilded the bass in most gigs since then, but I also have had some opportunities to perform at gigs on the guitar, shakers, and drums.

In the last few months, however, I have had the opportunity of re-exploring my "percussive" side, with several full-length gigs as a cajon/percussion player. I can't believe the kind of fun I have had doing that. Ironically enough, my cajon technique is rather similar to what my dad taught me for my mridangam (especially right hand), and I'm able to generate a rather unique snare sound with this technique. Talk about completing a circle!

At this time, I would like to thank the following people for inspiring/encouraging/helping/supporting me in various stages of my journey as a musician, especially in the context of cajon/percussion playing.

Thank you! <3

• Aarifah Eve Rebello (for letting me "shake" at random gigs)
• Abhishek Dasgupta (for pushing me at improving myself as a musician)
• Anurag Mishra (for encouraging me at gigs)
• Jairaj Joshi (for introducing me to the cajon)
• Pritesh Prabhune (for inspiring me and helping me with concepts and tech)
• Reinhardt Dias (for inspiring me)
• Rohit Chabria (for gig opportunities and letting me use your cajon)
• Roma Kunde (for constantly supporting and encouraging me)
• Shaival Chatwani (for encouraging me)
• Sharanya Natrajan (for gig opportunities and supporting and encouraging me)
• Sumit Pillai (for all the years of jamming)
• Teemeer Chimulkar (for gig opportunities, trusting in me, and supporting/encouraging me)
• Varun Sood (for inspiring me, teaching me, and helping me bounce off ideas)
• Vidhya Venkitachalam (for pushing me to take up guitar)
• Vigneshkumar Venkatraman (for such an incredibly positive attitude and inspiring me)
• Vijayalakshmy Venkitachalam (for marrying my Dad?)
• Vishal Mallu (for inspiring me and lending the cajon)