‘I used to borrow money to buy Talvin’s cassettes’

Says Jasmeen Patheja, who is set to tie the knot with electro-tabla whiz Talvin Singh, the duo plan Punjabi wedding in Kolkata this week.

Asian Underground tabla whiz, Talvin Singh is ready to end his silence. “Every time I perform in India, people ask me two things — whether I am married or whether I’ve lost weight” he laughs, adding, “India’s quite unique this way.”

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This Sunday, the 41-year-old musician will put an end to at least one of the questions as he ties the knot with Kolkata girl, Jasmeen Patheja.

“We got engaged in London this April,” he confirms, “but wanted to keep it private.” On Sunday, the electronica exponent will take the big leap and marry his girlfriend of two years Jasmeen, who is also the founder of Blank Noise Project, an inititave that confronts street harassment.

So was it intimidating dating a fiery feminist? Talvin laughs, “No, in fact Jasmeen’s work is very inspiring. We both met briefly years ago, but lost touch. But, we reconnected at a concert in Delhi and since then we’ve been following each other’s work,” he says. Confessing to being a big fan of his music, soon-to-be-wife Jasmeen adds, “I was a huge fan. I would save my pocket money and borrow some from my sister to buy his cassettes.”

Currently the two are busy preparing for the wedding in Kolkata on August 21. “It’ll be a private affair, a traditional Punjabi wedding with family and friends,” says Talvin, adding, “A lot of my musician friends will be coming down, so there will be three days of non-stop music.”