Advaita

Abhishek Mathur Guitars, Electronics Anindo Bose Keyboards, Electronics Chayan Adhikari Lead Vocals (western) Aman Singh Rathore Drums,Percussion Suhail Yusuf Khan Sarangi, Hindustani Vocals Ujwal Nagar Hindustani vocals Mohit Lal Tabla & Percussions Gaurav Chintamani Bass Guitar
Other musicians associated with Advaita: Akshay Pandit Sound Engineer Arpan Guha Thakurta Bass Aditya Balani Lead Guitars, Vocals Tarun Balani Drums, Percussion Sanjeev Menon Vocals Ravi Singh Guest Vocals Romit Bass Player

	Abhishek is one of the founding members of the band and was instrumental in the formation of the line up in 2004. He handles lead guitar duties for Advaita and has established his own unique ‘textural’ sound in the band apart from having written most of the lyrics in the early years. A composer and producer, he makes music for films, TV shows, theater and other media. Heavily influenced by electronic music, Abhishek is deeply involved in the electronic ‘soundscaping’ of Advaita songs.
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	Anindo is regarded as one of the premier keyboard players of Delhi. He is also the sound technician of Advaita, and in fact has opened his own home studio (Plug N’ Play) where the band has recorded several of their songs. Outside Advaita, Anindo is a key member of Artistes Unlimited, a musical entourage of singers and instrumentalists from all musical styles. He also records, composes and produces music for various commercial projects and has recently added to this a growing reputation as an excellent ‘live’ sound engineer.
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	Chayan’s soothing husky voice provides the perfect foil for the low heavy classical baritone of Ujwal Nagar. Advaita’s ‘western singer’, has been singing in the group Artistes Unlimited where other members of Advaita spotted him. His early musical inspirations came from artists like Stevie Wonder and of late he has found a great likening to retro rock, blues and jazz. Chayan has emerged as the main lyric writer of the band and is also adding to the music arrangement with his acoustic guitar playing. He has also sung for a Hindi film called ‘Sorry Bhai’.
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	Aman, or as his friends know him, Kumar, is an experienced drummer on the Delhi music circuit. He has completed his eight grades in drums, in accordance with Trinity School of Music, London, and is presently a teacher at Gurgaon School of Music and Performers Collective, New Delhi. Previously, Kumar has played with some well known outfits in Delhi, like Astroreth and Blue Funk and also various corporate shows with renowned session musicians of the city. Playing in a band which he believes is a creating a different kind of fusion, excites him and this is most evident in the band’s new ‘rhythm’ based compositions drawing from rhythmic structures of Western as well as Indian traditions.
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	The beautiful drone of the Sarangi is the most important embellishment in Advaita’s sound. Suhail is the grandson of the Sarangi maestro Ustaad Sabri Khan and the nephew of the young Sarangi genius Kamal Sabri under whose guidance he has been learning and performing his instrument from a very young age. Though even now only 20, he has already performed on stage all over the world with renowned artists like ‘guitar god’ Steve Vai and the world famous Talvin Singh. Always open to experimentation, he plays frequently at the dance club 'Elevate' with DJ Dale using his instrument in styles very few classical musicians have ever done.
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	Ujwal has been trained in classical vocals by his mother, the Kathak dancer Urmila Nagar and by Ustaad Bashir Ahmad Khan. He has also learnt the tabla from his brother Vishal Nagar. He started giving solo vocal performances from the age of 15 and is focused on being a versatile classical musician. Ujwal has sung in the group Artistes Unlimited where he was exposed to singing in different musical styles, like qawali and also some fusion pieces. This newfound interest in the confluence of genres and sensibilities has found an outlet in Advaita where his astonishingly deep and mature voice is a huge attraction for audiences.
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	Mohit is a percussionist, his main instrument being the tabla. He is the son of the kathak sensation, the late Pandit Durga Lal. Mohit receives training from the tabla player Akram Khan and has performed in and outside India with artists like sitar player Gaurav Maujumdar and others. He has also had the privilege of accompanying the sarod maestro Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan in a concert
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	Gaurav, the latest member to join the line up, is a seasoned guitarist and bassist on the Delhi scene and has played with outfits like Trademark, Artistes Unlimited, Soap and Level 9. He is also trained sound engineer and runs Quarter Note Studios, a well established studio in south Delhi where apart from conducting recording sessions; he composes and produces music for commercial projects.
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	The elaborate soundscape of Advaita means that the quality of the sound in the live situation is of utmost importance and this has led to the permanent inclusion of Akshay as ‘the sound man’ in the line up. Having done his education in sound engineering in the UK, Akshay is presently employed with the ‘Ravi Shankar Institute for Music and Performing Arts’ where he handles all live shows and recordings. He is also a specialist in room acoustics and has designed Advaita’s very own Anindo Bose’s home studio (plug n’ play). .
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	Arpan was till recently Advaita's bass player and one of the band's most popular members who's energy in the live performances made him a stand out performer. He has been an integral part of the line up in the bands crucial formative years. He is presently playing with the outfit 'Bandish'.
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	Aditya, one of the founding members of the band is also the one who came up with the name. Until recently he was the lead guitar player of the band and a lot of the riffs of Advaita’s songs have come from him. Aditya has had to leave the band so that he can pursue higher education in music from Berklee College of Music, Boston, but his role in the stylistic development of the band and its song writing is ingrained in the way this musical outfit functions.
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	Tarun, until recently Advaita’s drummer, is one of the most accomplished young musicians in Delhi. He had taken part in the prestegious Drumers Collective in New York last year and is presently at the Berklee College of music, Boston (with his brother)
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	For the past season (2004 –2005) Sanjeev has sung the English parts for Advaita and his smooth voice can be heard on the present recordings. Having got into Symbiosis, Pune for further studies in Mass Communication, he has had to leave the band.
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	Ravi, former singer of the well-known Delhi band Themclones, has sung on the song Gates of Dawn. He is widely regarded to be one of the most talented singers on the Indian rock scene.


	Romit 'Tubai - Cool Scene' Gupta was Advaita's first bass player and played the band's first show. He has contributed to several compositions, most notably a thumping bass line for the track 'Hamsadhwani'. Romit is the bass player for one of Delhi's biggest rock acts - Themclones.
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