It was in 2017 that New Delhi-based Indian classical pianist and composer Anirudh Varma formed The Anirudh Varma Collective, an ensemble of more than 200 musicians from across India, US and Canada. Their aim is to discover, re-discover, and present the tradition and diversity of Indian music in a contemporary yet rooted manner in order to make Indian Classical music accessible to audiences of all age groups and backgrounds. They have always maintained that they want the younger audiences to connect with Indian classical music as much as they do with popular film music.
So far, the ensemble has released three albums, including Perspectives in 2018, Homecoming in 2022 and Sabr in 2025. Varma, who is trained in both Western classical music, (piano) and Hindustani music, has also travelled and performed in many parts of the country as well as on international stages. They will next be seen performing at the Sacred Amritsar Festival on February 21.
Excerpts from the interview:
What was the idea or the intention behind forming the Collective?
The intention behind the formation of the Collective, was to build a community of artists to present traditional Indian classical music in a format where we made it more accessible to the mainstream listener. I always wanted classical music to be heard by everyone and reach a wider audience.
Tell us about the formation of the Collective?
The Collective was formed in 2017, and we released our debut album – Perspectives in March 2018. While finishing my masters from Ambedkar University, Delhi, I began reaching out to musicians who I had met in Delhi University and shared the idea I had about putting together a collaborative album. With every consecutive composition, the team start developing and evolving. We eventually had 65 collaborators in the first year. After almost 8 years of existence, the Collective now comprises of 200+ artists from across the globe. The core team is of course more compact and is a group of 12 artists, and this keeps expanding.
You have released three albums – Perspectives, Homecoming and Sabr – so far. Can you tell us about each of them and also, how do you evaluate your own progression as musicians through this journey of three albums?
I think each of these albums defines the phase the Collective was at the time of their respective release. Perspectives was definitely a space wherein we were experimenting to see where this project could go, and how we could capture this sound in the form of an album. In Perspectives, most of the arrangements were only mine, and I would ask musicians to come in and play on demo versions that I had worked on. Homecoming being our second album – is a reflection of how the Collective was evolving during that period – including some of the amazing collaborations we got to explore – whether it was with Darshan Doshi, or Kamran Zafar from Coke Studio. Homecoming also intentionally concluded with the title track, as it was indicating where AVC was going with the songwriting process. Sabr – our latest release is a reflection on the ensemble’s current approach, bond, and where we all are as musicians and as a group. All the music has been written together as a unit, and we also released 4-5 original compositions with this album, such as Mausam, Naseeba, Kuchh Doorie and Saadho.
How many musicians have played with the collective so far? With so many people around, are there often disagreements? How do they get resolved?
Approximately a total of 200+ musicians have played with the collective so far, in the past eight years or so. Definitely, we tend to argue and discuss various topics and directions. It’s quite interesting how a disagreement eventually finds its way back to a solution driven scenario. I strongly feel dialogue is the only way to work in such a diverse and large group.
You have also collaborated with so many renowned musicians. Can you talk about some of your favourite collaborations?
Some of our favourite collaborations have been with Darshan Doshi and Kamran Zafar on Naino Waaleya. Another very special collaboration has been with the group – Kaavish, on a special release called – Rung.
You have performed at many places in India and toured and performed on a number of international platforms. What do you enjoy about performing live on stage, especially abroad?
I think the most special thing about performing live – especially abroad, is to see how audiences react to our music. This also helps us to push our performance scope, and keeps us grounded. Each city and venue has a flavour of its own, and that’s what we find the most exciting.
SHIV AHUJA
You are playing at the Sacred Amritsar Festival soon. What do you plan to perform for the audiences?
For the Sacred Amritsar festival, we will be presenting a set of compositions from our three albums, some repertoire from our Kahat Kabir set, and perhaps some unreleased material too.
What are your plans for the future when it comes to albums and performances?
We are now working towards our fourth album. We are also trying to work on a US and UK Tour – fingers crossed!
