clicking here<\/a>. Sidharth was quick to introduce me to the who's who of the event, and we set off taking pictures and speaking to the performers. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1498688423092","data":"59542c079f63c"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1498688442898","data":"First up on our list is Hemunth Kumar, who was performing when we walked into the beautiful cafe. The crowd was enthusiastic, cheering him on with each song as he continued to impress, outdoing himself with every song he performed. Speaking after his performance, the 18-year old said, \"I'm more of a vocalist that a guitarist, really,\" he smiles, \"I started learning Carnatic vocals at the age of 3, picking up the guitar was a recent affair, in 9th class in fact.\"<\/p>
The young man, about to start his Mechanical Engineering course at SRM University in Chennai, speaks further about his inspirations and future plans, \"I'm a huge fan of A.R. Rahman and Sid Sriram. Both have been quite an inspiration for me, motivating me to do what I do,\" he says. When asked where does he see himself in 5 years, he was quick to respond, \"I aim to support young artists in the city, help them grow and hone their craft. It'll be a dream come true. Sidharth has been a major source of inspiration as well in this regard.\" <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1498689181655","data":"59542f35c6c31"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1498689278342","data":"
As the evening progressed, we were graced with incredible performances of Bollywood classics as well as tracks from fairly recent Bollywood releases. 32-year old Sashaank Mamidana's voice quickly cast a spell over the audience, hooked to his every sway. It's been a long time since I've quite enjoyed listening to Bollywood classics, and I am doing so right now, writing this piece. It was like being transported to an era of cassettes and tape recorders when we would rush home to watch Doordarshan and listen to songs on the radio.<\/p>
Following Sashaank's incredible performance, a band with no name - don't blame me because that is what the vocalist said - that I've decided to call The Band With No Name (consider picking this up guys, lots of marketing potential), took to stage to give us soulful tracks from movies like Rock On. A quartet, my only regret of the evening is that I couldn't manage to speak to them soon enough. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1498690055579","data":"5954325d3c91a"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1498690070417","data":"
Concluding the event was 21-year old Abdul Ali, a Shayar, poet in Urdu, who composes poems in Urdu. The young man had come in looking lost a few minutes after we walked in, and asked me in a quiet voice if I knew whether there was a slot left for him to share his poems. When pointed in the right direction, Ali managed to get himself a slot for a performance and came to the back of the cafe where we eventually shared a table. It was during our conversation here that he revealed he was a poet, \"I write poems in Urdu,\" he said, opening a dairy and leafing through the pages, as if unsure which poem to share with the audience on stage. Sure enough, the suspicion was confirmed when Ali confessed that he did not know which poem he should choose. <\/p>
Not to be left behind in a crisis of the literary kind, I replied, \"It's quite cloudy outside, why not go with something romantic to end the evening?\" <\/p>
Ali nodded enthusiastically, smiling and now flipping through the pages with confidence, and spoke further about hosting his own open mic session this Sunday at iKeva, Madhapur, \"On the sixth floor, and at 11 in the morning,\" he reminded me, \"This is the first time I'm organising it on my own, and I'm quite excited.\"<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1498690810818","data":"5954357c34ebf"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1498690903181","data":"
It is inevitable to hear stories about how awesome other metro cities are if you live in India, although I'm fairly certain this is a global phenomenon. After hearing amazing tales from friends in Mumbai and Bangalore, and having experienced the Delhi music scene first hand, it's natural to wonder where Hyderabad ranks among these cities when it comes to the music scene. <\/p>
But it is important to remember that Hyderabad is a growing city, and we've been growing rapidly, in some cases too rapidly, and our music scene is developing at a brisk pace. With places like The Gallery Cafe and having experienced the amazing performances last evening, it is safe to say that the music scene of Hyderabad is in safe, nurturing hands. The rest, as they say, is only a matter of time. <\/p>"}]