Get to know... Nisschal Zaveri

Singer and composer Nisschal Zaveri (@NisschalZaveri) says he’s a micromanager. He’s creating Excel sheets and wishing he could make contact with aliens

Get to know... Nisschal Zaveri

• Currently I am:

  Building a ghazal symphony experience called Whispers of the Infinite.

• High point in life

  When I left engineering for music.

• Low point in life

  Losing my dada and nana within a span of a year, and having to shut down my studio during Covid.

• On my playlist

  Ka Karoon Sajani, by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan; Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s qawwalis.

• One thing I’d never buy

  A Sing Ghazals In Seven Days crash course.

• Today I’m craving

  Dilli ke chole bhature.

• Last thing I ordered online

  In-ear headphones.

• App I check before bed

  Instagram

• Advice I’d give my 18-year-old self

  To surrender is the key. Find a guru and seek knowledge.

• My favourite subject in school

  Music and maths.

• I’d swipe right on

  Anyone who loves poetry, meditation and silence as much as music.

• My secret skill is

  Creating Excel sheets. I have one for almost everything.

• A magic tool I wish I had

  A device that could increase the hours of the day from 24 to 36.

• My favourite Sunday memory

  Dosa, idli, a movie, and doing absolutely nothing.

• My most star-struck moment

  Meeting Ustad Zakir Hussain at Prithvi Theatre.

• My favourite bad habit

  Micromanaging, though I’m finally getting better at letting go.

• If I could travel back or forward in time, I’d…

  Go back to observe great artists. Or watch the beginning of time. Then, I’d race forward to make first-contact with aliens.

• The best thing about fame

  The love, blessings and adulation from listeners.

• The worst thing about fame

  Losing small pockets of privacy, but art demands a little surrender.