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The engineer-turned-violinist
One look at the way he holds his violin is enough to understand Abhijeet Gurjale’s passion for music and the instrument. No wonder music moguls say it is this tender touch that emits lilting notes
22-year-old Abhijeet Gurjale stunned the audience with his mastery over the violin at a recent TED event conducted at BITS Pilani -Hyderabad
One look at the way he holds his violin is enough to understand Abhijeet Gurjale’s passion for music and the instrument. No wonder music moguls say it is this tender touch that emits lilting notes. It seems that the 22-year-old, who took this stringed instrument to a completely different level at his recent performance at TED, seems to be a wizard in the making. Before stunning the audience with his mastery over western classical, Abhijit had studied engineering and cleared grade eight in western music theory and composition and western violin performance with a distinction, which is an exceptional feat.
After being introduced to violin at the tender age of seven by his uncle and first guru Ashok Gurjale, Abhijit came a long way in Carnatic music.
“Jazz has always fascinated me. I never imagined the intricacies of western classical music would mesmerise me so much. It was only when I started seeing the intensity with which Europeans played did I realise that this music would not only teach me how to play but give me an entirely new perspective of how to make an instrument your beloved and speak through it,” said Abhijit on being asked about the journey from Carnatic to western classical
Despite the fact that the young violinist has played over 200 concerts at a very young age, he doesn’t feel overwhelmed.
“Not really. I had the rare privilege of meeting maestros like Pandit Jasraj, L Subramaniam, Sivamani, Ganesh and Kumaresh. Playing with them was a humbling experience as it made me see where I stood and realise that there was a long way to go. I was fortunate to play violin in a concert with renowned Pakistani singer Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan organised by AR Rahman’s foundation,” Abhijit quips.
Abhijit received the prestigious Pandit Jasraj Award in 2009 and was declared the winner of Light Music group event (Tarang) as vocalist and violinist of Classical Kirkiri (2012) for two consecutive years. He also received the first prize in the western music instrumental solo event at Saarang 2012, and won numerous other competitions in college events. His recital at TED, organised by BITS Pilani Hyderabad a couple of weeks ago, received a tremendous response.
