Valentine’s Day: Kartik used music to propose to me, says Nirali of Maati Baani

On Valentine’s Day, musicians Kartik Shah and Nirali Kartik – partners in the fusion music band Maati Baani and a married couple for 10 years now – recall how their love blossomed over jam sessions.

Love transcends all barriers; and when coupled with music, it reaches a new high. For Maati Baani, this thought holds much significance. The independent fusion band, which performs ‘songs of the soul’, comprises the musician couple Kartik Shah, composer-producer, and Nirali Kartik, vocalist, who fell in love while creating songs for the band. Married for 10 years now, their love story began when Nirali saw Kartik performing at a café in Ahmedabad.

Composer-producer Kartik Shah and vocalist Nirali Kartik of the fusion music band, Maati Baani. (Photo: Aalok Soni/HT)

“Earlier, I was completely into classical music, but Kartik introduced me to jazz and different kinds of Western music. We kept meeting, jamming together and love blossomed,” she says.

However, coming from a traditional family, it was hard for Nirali to convince her parents that she wanted to marry a musician — Kartik was in a volatile profession that lacked the security of a 9-to-5 job.

So, how did she manage? “It was difficult. I used the same tactics that Kartik used to propose to me — music,” says Nirali. “Back then, I had a tape recorder and used to play songs sung by Kartik continuously at home. My parents loved his music and finally agreed.”

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