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Social Media Star of The Week: Anand Bhaskar
For his Reel highlighting the importance of riyaaz not just for musicians, but every professional who’s hustling
Given our hectic lives, it’s quite easy to fall out of the habit of focussing on just ourselves and even our skills. Which is what happened with musician and composer Anand Bhaskar after he started working a corporate job.
As a pre-teen, Anand had had a strong foundation in classical music and did his daily riyaaz (practice) for eight years. But when he started working, he lost touch with music. Fortunately, music did not lose touch with him, and when he quit the job, he was able to compose for hit series like Mirzapur, Masoom and Dr Arora.
Lost in the hustle
Even now, as a full-time musician and composer, he gets caught in the hustle, and skips his morning riyaaz, which means he does not practice all day. Now he’s trying to correct this by scheduling 15 minutes for it every morning. This is the result of a promise he made recently while posting a Reel of himself doing his classical riyaaz.
“The one strategy that is working for me is: start your day with your riyaaz. Practice is not just a habit but a value that you inculcate,” says Anand.
What exactly is riyaaz? “Think of your body as a machine. A lot of the things we do quickly and efficiently is because of muscle memory. And that’s a result of every day riyaaz. It’s what eventually lets you achieve your top form and stay consistent,” says the musician, who admits that he can feel the difference in his voice if he skips his riyaaz for two days.
Crediting his classical vocals—the riyaaz he practises—for giving him the ability to adapt his voice for genres like pop, hip-hop and jazz, Anand explains, “Doing riyaaz is like sending your voice to the gym. It teaches you how to do the heavy lifting.”
Riyaaz for mental health
Riyaaz is not just about honing your skills. Doing it regularly helps with your mental health.
“Practising your craft puts you in a state of mindfulness and for that period of time, whether it’s 20 minutes or an hour, you are only focussing on getting better at something. That makes you mindful and inadvertently becomes a form of meditation,” says Anand. “These days, we don’t take time for ourselves. We don’t press pause. We are constantly working and hustling. As much as I have spoken about not getting caught in the hustle, I am guilty of it. But in this small window of a few minutes a day, I can really focus on my voice and the way I feel,” smiles Anand.
Who should be the next HT Brunch Social Media Star Of The Week? Nominate using the hashtag #BrunchSocialMediaStarOTW or email htbrunch@hindustantimes.com
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From HT Brunch, September 10, 2022
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