Let's Talk about Speed Bumps with Kujit Bhamra MBE

Musician, Composer and producer, Kuljit Bhamra MBE was honoured by the Queen for his services to Bhangra and Asian music. Life was not easy for the young Kuljit, growing up with polio in the UK but his passion for music helped him find his purpose. At Brave New You TRIBE'S live event hosted by ZONE co-working and ME Hotel, Kuljit takes us on his rise from civic engineer to playing in Bombay Dreams, and composing for Johnny Depp's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Dr Who theme music, as well as much more besides.

Kuljit's charm and humour underscore his talent as he helps us understand the allure of Indian music. We hear what helps him persevere through the pitfalls to reach the peaks that he has attained through his career; the people who have helped him and the places that he calls home. He has a few words for his younger self and reveals the possibilities that he is creating before him. He has faced many fears and challenges along the way but his positive attitude has pushed him though.

Leading on from Lou's book FEAR LESS she has devised the 8 pillars to fearing less, and she takes our guests through these:
PASSION, PURPOSE, PEOPLE, PLACES, PITFALLS, PERSEVERANCE, PEAKS AND POSSIBILITIES

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hi, we have Meredith and Lou and we'd like to welcome you to our brave new you try web series, how to be fearless in which we interviewed, inspiring people who have faced up to their challenges and fears and gone on to achieve great things this month. Our guest is cool jets Bambra MB who shares his story that takes him from polio to speed humps from British Bang. We're music to receiving an honor from the queen. We hope you enjoy his wit and wisdom as much as we did.

Speaker 2: 0:48

I would like to welcome this month guest called it Bambra MB. Welcome. Cool jet. Okay. Um, I'm thrilled that you agreed to come and talk with us. I thought it was 10 years since we filmed, but actually it's 15 years since we filmed together. Um, so I'm looking forward to catching up on everything. What you've been doing. So you're a musician, a composer, a producer, uh, recognized by the Queen who awarded you the Mbe for services to Banga and Asian music. Um, you've composed and produced over 2000 songs and the responsible for the rise to fame of numerous Bangura and Bollywood Stars. Uh, you've worked collaboratively and independently on film scores for over 10 years, including the soundtracks for body on the beach. Uh, winter of love, bend it like Beckham and made him parents is on the guru, the four feathers, brick lane, Charlie and the chocolate factory and many more besides, uh, so these are incredible achievements. And um, and we'll hear what else you been up to sing in the ensuing years. Not least a radio star now. Hmm. But it's not been a path of rose petals and gifts of Fort Union bestowed on you by the gods. I'm sure that there's been hard work, grit and determination and being part of the whole picture. So you must've face challenges and overcome difficulties along the way. And we'd like to know how you dealt with those. Um, so that we too can learn some lessons for our own lives. So I'm going to go through the, the eight pillars of fearlessness. And the first one is passion. I know that your early career was actually as an engineer, designing speed bumps for Richmond, uh, counsel. Yes. Uh, so at what point did you rediscover your music and, uh, and find the courage to ditch the day job and do music full time? Hmm, okay.

Speaker 1: 2:51

I mean, I was brought up in a very strict Indian family, so my father was, uh, actually he's not as strict as it used to be, but he was very strict in the old days. And,

Speaker 3: 3:00

uh, because, you know, they'd come from east Africa and they were making their new home in England. Although, um, I've been playing music since I was about three or four years old. And my father was always say, would always say it's a hobby. It's only a hobby, you know? And so whenever I played my tablets, all my instruments at home, I'd always, and he walked, he opened the door, I'd always say yes. Sonia helped with that. So, um, and so I had this hobby that I really loved and really enjoyed it, but, but my father said, you have to have a proper job. And so, uh, I followed in his footsteps to become an engineer and ended up working for each one council with designing speed humps. So I'm not going to take any lessons of complaints. If you've trusted your exhaust pipes, the change came. I mean there was a, there was a, what I call a prod from God. Really. Um, I, and I went, I had a, um, we'll talk about my leg later on, but I have a disability. So I worked with caught polio when I was young and I was always taught to that a normal would marry me. It's cause I, cause you know, the Indian culture is very, um, has certain views on disability. Um, but anyway, I had proper job and then, uh, it was in my family's mind to get me married. So then I hired a, an arranged marriage. So I met this woman and married, uh, in five days. Um, and then things started to get a bit pear shaped and I'd always, you know, partly not nothing to do, you know, I'm not blaming her, but he just, it was just like my whole thinking was no one was supposed to marry me anyway. So it's not really supposed to be that way. Um, and so, uh, one of the prods from God as I call it, it was, um, going through a divorce. And so I had this very acrimonious divorce that lasted for about five years. I lost my house. Um, I'd like 70,000 pounds on my credit card. There was no way I can actually pay even the interest on my credit card. So I, I just took that as, as a sort of sign that I should do what my heart said I should do. And in that whole divorce process and that five years, I began to realize that, um, I was so locked into a certain pattern of believing how things should it be, have a proper job, you know, work hard, um, get married, have kids, have a house, all that sort of stuff that my mum and dad, again, no criticism on that to them, but that's the world that they created for me and I really believe that world. Um, and then suddenly I had an opportunity of like entertaining another world possibilities. And so that was, you know, things are already going wrong. So what could, what could go wrong even more than for me to follow my dream? Um, but I also have this idea that, you know, we all have dreams and I, I have this strange like crazy idea that I don't think whoever created the human form would give us the to dream if they couldn't come true. That'd be like a really silly thing to do. It's like suddenly, you know, okay, let's make him dream and then I'll let that please. So I really, I'd be really cruel. It was really cool. Yeah. So I, um, I, I've always had this, um, idea that what ever visions or whatever dreams I have, I have to do them. And so, um, I had that sort of the, the, the, um, logistics were in correct for me to, and then I just handed my notice in and then went into music. And the moment I did that, um, it seemed like all the ducks were in a line. They were all waiting for me. I suddenly got a phone call from Andrew Lloyd Webber's company and I've got to dig in Bombay Dreams. Everything was waiting for me to make that move. And I sometimes think, oh my God, supposing that is listening, I didn't do that. I'll still be at a desk, you know, designing speed humps. So, um, that's, it was, you know, a combined sort of force of all of those things like the lit, it seems like the, the logistics were right. And also my thinking was, um, I didn't want to be restrained in any way and everything seemed like it was forcing me to do, to live a particular way. I want it to be free. Um, so yeah, there's a lot more, you know, to go with that. But I think there were the main two things that had me then follow my dream and I expected it's will go wrong, but it didn't.

Speaker 2: 7:24

And so then you start, you are producing bank when music you, you sort of introduce that sound to the UK, didn't you?

Speaker 3: 7:33

Yeah, I mean I think Bangura um, those of you that know about Bangura we'll know Bandra the World Bank has been around for a long time actually. And Bangor is a dance form from the Punjab in India, but it's now become a musical genre as well. So I always try to distinguish between Bangoura dance and bankrupt music. Yeah. So Ben Graham music was created in the UK and my mom is a singer and Mr Sing in temples. So as a toilet I was sort of forced to play the tabla and accompany her in temples. Um, and I used, I used to love playing instruments and I had this natural curiosity for trying to figure out how things work. You know, I want to know everything. And so that curiosity you hadn't made to lead me to sort of learn more about instruments and music, I could listen to records and figure out how they put together. I could tell how the drum kits were mixed and the singing was, they put echo it. I could just hit all of those things. What happened was my mum is a singer, so we used to sing religious music. Um, and while I was listening to Indian music, I was also listening to Stevie wonder and George Benson and Michael Jackson as a bgs. And I noticed that when I, whenever I put on an Indian recalled and then put on an English record after eight, Dean did, Rick was sounded terrible. I mean, the songs weren't terrible, but they just sounded terrible. There's no base. There was no, um, good sounds to them. There's no meat in the sound. And I wanted my mom's records and Indian music to have that contact. And so I began to explore, um, at home I had, you know, those are then, if you know, you know, reel to reel tape recorders yet. Sorry, I'm not insulting your age. But anyway, you know, so, so we had these two, a reel to reel tape recorders and nice to be called my favorite songs onto, onto tape at high speed so that I could then slow down and I could figure out, you know, someone wrong, it sounded like that, but I could tell how it's put together. And then I'd cut the tape up in my bedroom and I'd loop it around the picture frame and the door knob and would go around in a big loop and on play along with it. And so I thought, hey, actually drunk it sound good with Tablo and maybe some cables and maybe some Bass Guitar. So I began to produce, um, records. Uh, my mum was an emi artist that we traveled to India every year to record her albums. And I think when I was 13 or 14, I said to her, um, I can do it here. And she said, well, he's going to do the music. And I said, well, I can do it. And she said, how would you do it? You know? And I said, there's a way of adding things. And I, and I, and I, and she trusted me. And then I produced this album for them when it became a massive hit. At that time, the Indian community was, because it was the 70s and we just had, um, the bgs and Saturday night fever. It's all about disco and dance. Um, the Indian community, we're also beginning to, to get that, I think the whole world was sort of dancing at that time. And so I think people had itchy feet at the time. And then suddenly I started some mix bass drums and, and funky rhythms with Indian rhythms. And it began to take off. And that's how Bangura came in. Why world of age,

Speaker 2: 10:40

even though you say that things sort of, once you'd made that decision that this was your dream and this is the road that you were going to travel, they're always going to be things that crop up, that sort of a forced you to make decisions along the way and your sense of purpose that drives you through. So no matter what comes, whatever choices arise, decisions you have to make, it's those that, uh, are your guiding lights.

Speaker 3: 11:04

I have a, I have a sense that everyone has a purpose. And I know it's so y'all could stay in bed all day and just have a, probably have a nice time just sleeping. I don't know. But, um, there's two things for me. I don't wanna I don't wanna die half empty. That's I won. I mean, not necessarily things to say, but I want to die fully used up, whatever that means. And then secondly, I think I have a purpose. I think everyone has a purpose. Um, and so I, it would be foolish to not live that. I mean, that's what gets me out of bed, even though bed is comfortable many days of the week. But creating a purpose, I don't want to get, you know, if I was to read my own tombstone, I was a bit morbid, I'd want it to say he designed speed on the regional, the council, you know, it's just say something like, he, he loved his life or he, he did this or he had a unique, um, set of skills that he could offer people. Um, so I believe that everyone has a unique set of skills and talents or gifts would been to call them. And it just, it would just be a shame if you didn't live that fully. So that's, that's the passion that keeps me going. I love, I love, I mean, I worked really hard, but it doesn't feel like I'm working. I mean, when I was working as an engineer, it felt like I was working. And then you go and work and then you come home and play, but you're so tired that you've got no one here to play. Um, but now I work because I love it and I'm sort of working more than I ever knew. But it's not work. It's not work for me, but it's fulfilling my passion. I have certain things, this might sound arrogant, but I have things I feel only I can do on this planet. There's no one else on this planet that can do those particular things. I think I can do. And I don't mean that in, well, maybe, maybe I am already good, but, uh, I don't mean it in an arrogant way. Uh, and I believe that's the same for everybody. Um, my, my skills and talents are on stage, so they're easy to identify so people can, people can say, oh, you know, you're good at doing that, or I like it when you do that or you're talented at doing that. Not Everybody is on stage. And so, but I still believe everybody has a unique set of skills and gifts and a purpose to fulfill. I'd like to make a difference on the planet. Um, and I feel that life is precious. I don't think we're a fluke on this planet. Um, I know some people do think I'd want to get to philosophy, but I mean, from a Western philosophical points of view, people, something, many people will say, we're born into the planets or onto the planet. And then we tried to negotiate the planet. And in eastern philosophy they say, we're born out of the planet. If you're born out of the planet, there's nothing to negotiate. Everything is there, right in front of you. And so I have a sort of zest for life. Um, I don't believe necessarily in reincarnation, although I could be persuaded to believe that, but that's not what keeps my current life in check. Um, I don't have somewhere that I need to be later on right now is the most important thing for me and the people that I talk to, like you and the people here, you're the most important thing right now at this moment. Um, and so I think there's a zest for life and I think it's an amazing, uh, precious thing.

Speaker 2: 14:39

Yeah. So who would you say that, where the sort of key people that inspired you and helped you along the way?

Speaker 3: 14:48

I mean, I draw from every single person I meet. Every single person in this room is, is a one possible way of living human life. I learned that possibility from everybody. I think it's great. It's, it's, it's a real honor to have a, um, a mentor. You know, if you look at the best sportsman in the world, you'd think, why do they need a mentor? They're the best person in the world. But if you've got mentors and coaches, haven't they? So I don't have one that's allocated. I think my mother has been great for me, I have to say because I, I learned so much from her at an early age and then I rebelled against her. So I, I sort of a, I need her so I can rebel against her. You went away,

Speaker 2: 15:28

you know what you want because you know what you don't want. Exactly. Yeah. You live where you live. You've raised your children, you've have a studio. Um, you're still then is, you've been there a long time. It is that place that you've built around you around your life and your work. Um, is that your, your place

Speaker 3: 15:48

placing Gullah, which I go to twice a year, so that's where I really switch off doing stuff, but my mind is constantly restless at it never switches off. Um, and why? Yeah, my home is my home, actually. It's, it's a, it's a weird house because it's not a traditional house, you know, so my mother still calls it a studio. If you go, you go into the studio is do, I'm going to in your home, you know? But in her mind, it's not a home, you know, some other place you'd take somebody, it's just sort of mishmash of is recording studio downstairs and there's like a bachelor paddy type thing upstairs. And so, um, it is a workplace. Mine, my life has become, works not the right word, but my life has become my work. Um, or what I, what I express, you know, so when I use work, I don't mean work. I mean, that's what I am. That's, that's my purpose. That's what I do. That's who I am. So that is my home. And, uh, I travel a lot on tour when I play with other bands and my hotel for that night is also my home, you know, so yeah, it's always good to come back to base. Yeah. But I don't really have, um, I don't go, oh, I'm a home because when I'm on stage, I'm also at home at home, and if I'm traveling, I'm home. So it's a weird, it's a weird word. They're all homeless from it. Yet

Speaker 2: 17:05

clean. Yeah. See a snail really, you carry your home on your back probably. Yeah. The snail. Yeah. I would like us now, how has having a disability in the world that you played, um, how have you adapted your playing to your disability?

Speaker 3: 17:20

I think more importantly, my disability has, I'm going to have a massive effect on my life. So I've spent most of my, until the age of about 25 thinking I'm not right. And also my mom telling me that it wasn't right and I want to marry me, etc. Etc. So, um, and there were times, like when I was 11, I used to walk around on crutches and, um, I remember, um, like for example, waiting to cross the road and will come to me and say, would you like some help to cross the road there? Yeah. Yes, please. So, um, and I, I ended up taking care of people because I think, I don't know my, my weight or my charm, whatever you wanna call it, it's like a sort of device to rescue people. Cause I, you know, my Auntie's used to cry or what a nice boy who's going to marry him. And Tat tat sat and I thought, my mom, you start crying. And I thought, I'm gonna start crying, but I don't cry anyway, so I'm not gonna cry. Um, and it all gets very complicated. So I had to sort of rescue people from that. Um, and I felt, uh, it was really, really, really tough as a kid. I mean it's, my father fought for me to go to the south or grammar school, so our school was next to my house and sell my mom's house in south or, but I used to get picked up in a, in a mini bus and taken to a school for handicapped children. And then my dad fought for me to go to sales or grandma. He finally won the case. And so I ended up going to sell for grammar school. And, um, I've got my timetable for the weekend. It said Games, PE, that's all I could see swimming. And I thought, my God, I know, have they made, um, have they made sort of allowances for me and what do, what do I do? And of course, no one really knew how to. So I ended up counting cricket balls or looking after, and I'm joking about it now, but it was really horrible at the time. Um, and also simple things like, um, like chatting up girls, you know, I mean I couldn't dance. Um, so I'm not, I wasn't good at sports actually. I mean I, I never really wanted to chat up girls, but that's what everyone did because I mean I never was supposed to be with a girl anyway, so it was never, there was no why waste time, you know, so, um, yeah, it became, it's really, and the, in regards to performance, the most awkward thing for me ever is walking, walking on stage when people introduce me, cause I know people go, oh, what's that? And she's legging and, uh, you know, please put your hands together for[inaudible], clunk, clunk, clunk, collecting older. Um, but I've got, I've got a lot more used to that and more comfortable with it. Um, in a, when I was in bender, like Beck and we were nominated myself and how good or were nominated for an Olivier award. So he went to the Olivier award ceremonies and um, during the soundcheck, uh, there was, it was really weird actually because they, I think for the camera man, they practice where all the people who are nominated as sitting. So I got on the stage for the soundcheck cause I was playing as well. And in the audience was a cardboard cutout of me in a seat, which is really weird. So it was like me playing to a card. Anyway, I realized that that's where I suppose to sit. And, um, I thought, my God, I hope I that I mean if I win I'd have to get up and it's going to be like, you know, he's going to get to the stage. I might fall over on. And it's like, oh my God. So I had the same thought that I always have. And then I thought, you know, I'd say, can I just sit in the wings? And they said, yeah, sure.[inaudible] was easy is that, and yet my whole life has been about negotiating things and the moment I became comfortable with it and it became me, um, well it isn't me actually, this is the way it's supposed to be. Actually, I've got no choice anyway, so I could just live with it. But it took me so long to get comfortable with it and it was only when I started meeting people and they were comfortable with it that I then then became more comfortable with it myself. That voice is still there and it's not as not as much as, um, it used to be. So I was watching a show called the four pavilions in the western and I'd been banned for driving, so I to catch a train to go to rehearsals and it was right the other side of, of, of London. And uh, I had to get on the train at rush hour. So I've never done this before ever in my life. So I saw everybody just go crazy running after their trains. And because I can't run, I never had that in my life. Why would you run after a training? Because I can't run and so, and these guys have I, and I know, I knew these guys when they, when they laugh, they're trying to call it, they'd be running for the rest of the day. It'd be like everything and be like, but with me, because I can't run, I have this sense of I'll get the next train and everything's fine. I mean it sounds like pitfalls. I think, um, I would say describe myself as very sensitive. I would say. I mean, I, I'm just generally sensitive. I think musicians are sensitive people cause you know, to hear pitch you probably have to be sensitive. You know, my dad can't hit a difference between La and La. You go, it sounds like lots to me. So, um, so I'm sensitive and sometimes I have to somehow switch that off, you know, because I, I, I can get, not hurt, but I think somebody can say something and I take it very heavily and I know that that person's not an evil person. So I, um, yeah, I think just overthinking things. I used to have this idea of who I thought I was or I am, and when I met people and they said, oh, you'll, you're this and you're really good down. I used to think, oh, don't tell me who I am. I know who I am. And, uh, I realized, um, that I am that, you know, whatever, whoever somebody says, someone says to me, you're this. I said, well, that's who I am. If someone says to me, he called you, will you present a radio show? I'll say yes, like I'm a yes man. Because if they think I can do it, that means I can do it. Even though the voice on my head says, no, you can't do it. You know? So suddenly I've got a radio show, I trust other people's view of me and I step into that, you know? And that takes some, a bit of courage. Sometimes there's a kind of perseverance in anyone that takes, uh, not the easy route. Um, what keeps you going? What that perseverance in your life? What tools do you have? If I, I might think, okay, I'll just lie in or they're not, I feel like I'm going to waste my life. I think the main thing is I really love what I do. I just love it. I mean I, I love every part of it. You know, for example, in music I can have an idea, you know, one of, one of you in here could go la, la, la, la, la, la, la. I could turn that into a record within a week and like it'd be a good record and suddenly that I'd love the idea that something just some sort of nonsensical energy in your brain suddenly becomes material and I've done that a lot and I know I can do that. And so I think, I just think I wouldn't, it'd be a shame not to be my purpose every day, whatever that is. I want to live life fully from that. Then what have been some real highlights for you all the highs have been, I've been the things that I didn't think I would ever do. So, for example, when I got off, when I got offered the job of playing in Bombay dreams and a, I was playing at pizza express with a saxophone player called Andy Sheppard. And I'm in the audience was the person that organized orchestras for western shows, Sylvia distance. So she came up to me and said, called you, I'd like you for a show. And I thought, okay, great. A book me. And so she booked, she said, right. You know, um, and I thought it was one show. I didn't think it was going to go for two years. I thought it was just like, will you please show? Okay, well so suddenly I had um, you know, I was in a western show and that was really incredible for me because I, I got to experience, um, and have the platform of expression of music and a particular environment. Um, another, another peak for me. I've had a few hit songs. Um, it's funny cause I've, I've probably done over 2000 songs now and I think I've got 11 hit songs, which I always think is quite a low hit rate because the thing is you can't make a hit song. You know, you can't, you can't even write a song. You can't write a hit song. The hits not really in your control. Anyway. So I've had a few hit songs and, um, what I love is when people say to me, Oh, have you heard this song? You know, can you play it? And said, yeah, I can play it. It's mine. So, uh, I enjoy that. Um, and I think that one of the first peaks was hearing my song on the radio, my own song on the radio. It's like, oh my God, you know, this is just, it's a feeling you can't really explain to people. Uh, suddenly it's, you turn this knob and it comes out. It's like, that's my song and I'm listening to it in my car and began to work with orchestras recently, which has been really amazing. Um, I like to constantly step outside the envelope. I just, I, I do that as a rule. You know, maybe that's, maybe that's an answer to a previous question, but it's, if someone says to me, can you stand on this table? My immediate answer is no, but I'll say, well, yeah, well, yeah, give, give me your hand and we'll do it. So I'm like that because if you think I can and then I'll, I'll do it with you. Or am I own some constantly expanding myself, constantly learning things. I always want to push my envelope and challenge myself. And so the peaks, have you usually been to do with that? So I think, yeah. Getting enrolled in a western movie. Playing in films. Yeah, the child. You talk about factory. Yeah. So I'm pulling up a song is a, or a song. So if you do, if you watch 20 depth films, so it's all my fault. My rhythm is in there. Then obviously you played in doc doctor who, so I did an Indian version of, Oh, you know, which is really amazing. But yeah, sometimes I have to pinch myself because I mean that'd be road and I'm playing in doctor who and then suddenly I'm on TV and that's my tablet and I'm watching like a food advert and my drums in the background and there's more to come. You know what I mean? Cause I, cause I have that attitude of, okay, let's do it. I don't know how to do. I think I know how it can make it work. Let's just do it. That sort of constant wanting to grow and pushing yourself further. And, and then you were invited by the Queen to receive your, of course. Yeah. That was another, yeah. And then what was that like? That was, that was incredible actually. I had no, I would never even ever imagined that I'd have an honor. I had a pile of junk mail on my desk, which was lying there for four or five days. And I thought, let me just, I'll throw them away and I'll just one. And I picked one up and it had proper seals on it. It wasn't usually, they're printed on it there, you know, there's sort of like seals and this one had a real seal on it. I thought, well this reader's digest a splashing out, you know. But anyway, when I, when I opened it, so dumb, it was from the, uh, the cabinet office and it said, you've been nominated for an MBA. Um, and then there's another lesson next to it, which was just completely our two lines with a two tick boxes. And it says, I do, except I do not accept. And I thought, why would I, except, you know, anyway, I was completely blown away by this. I folded up the next morning, no warnings, all no. Yeah, completely. Um, completely random and I could have thrown it in the bin. I mean, I'm sure maybe they, hopefully they would have called me, but, uh, and that's why I put the envelope back on my desk and I sat quietly for half an hour. And then I called, I called my daughter and I said, I think I've got an image. Do you know when I've got the data of my investiture, it said, this is the date of university show. And I thought, I looked at my diary and I had a Gig in Portugal with Andy Shepard and I thought was really, I mean, I can't cancel what I do to get a medal for it because that'd be really weird. I can't just, Oh yeah, I'm going to get my middle. Sorry Andy, I'm not doing your Gig. And, and I don't cancel gigs anyway, but I thought, what do I do? You know? So I rang up this number on the letter. It's like he didn't Buckingham Palace. I said, I'm not gonna start the call, you know? And it was, um, uh, anyway, it wasn't the Queen, but, uh, I said, I said, I've got, um, I've got a letter for an investigation or not and I can't, I can't make that date cause I'm, I'm doing the thing that, you know, I get the middle of wash. Dot. Explained it to me. And she said, most people move their diaries for the queen and the way, you know. But anyway, she's okay then. Can you do Windsor cars? So I went to Windsor, Windsor Castle and the Queen was there. And then she, um, as I went up to her, you have to say, uh, you can only, you can even respond to her. You can't start like how you doing mate sort of thing. So you have to be, so you and you have to say Your Majesty. And then after your majesty you can say, ma'am. So she said to me, um, I really enjoyed your performance in Bombay dreams. And I went, what do you mean? You mean joint mother? Believe it. She surely she didn't recognize me from Bombay Dreams. There's like 40 of us on stage. I was a little dingy man tapping some drums on the corner and I thought, and that wasn't in the sort of resume or anything. So I thought my mind was like[inaudible] and I thought she's got it wrong. I mean, and I, I had met her once before Westminster Abbey applied, therefore, so I said, yes, your majesty. And we also met at Westminster Abbey and I try to apply the correct her when she said yes, I know that, but I enjoyed your performance in the formative. Oh my God, she really, he really knows. He really knows and I just um, anyway, and then not spoke some more gibberish. She asked me something and I just lost the plot. I think it was a, it was a validation having been a civil engineer designing speed harms and then going into follow my dream and for the Queens or say you're doing okay. I thought yes. And so moving forward for the future, I've got this mission called demystifying Indian music. As some of you might know, Indian music is taught through the guru disciple tradition, which is amazing. And it's an oral tradition. And so for example, with drumming you learn to speak the sounds first and you learn to play them and they go dog to not ethical to tune out. Now the problem with that for me is I don't think people who can't speak Indian could say that. I mean, how do you spell[inaudible] and I don't know how to spell it in English. So you know, sergeant pepper album, the Beatles sergeant pepper album, it's been 50 years since the album came out and there definitely are more known Indians playing Indian instruments. So even though Ravi Shankar came to the West and the Beatles introduced into the west and people really got into Indian music, somehow it got buried. I'm being a bit rude. It sort of got buried in that time. So now if you remember going to school and playing the recorder, you got your recorder and then you got the music. So you played the music on your recorder. In Indian music there is no the music, there's no music to play. It's all improvised in the moment, which is an amazing thing to do. Um, but Ravi Shankar, bless his soul is no longer with us. No one can plays music. That's the downside. The reason we're playing Beethoven and Mozart and Paganini is because those guys wrote down something that we could all follow. So at the moment I've, um, uh, launched, I've invented now because I've been working in the theater and I was, when I found out it was more than one show and, uh, I thought, my God, I've got to be in this show eight times a week for the rest of my life and supposing I want to go on holiday or suppose when I'm ill. And so they said, well, you need to have deputies to stand in for you, Fiona. I thought no one can stay in from Haiti. Uh, and I thought, actually, no, my success in that world is being replaceable. So in the Indian tradition, everyone is, the emphasis is on being irreplaceable and you're watching the great group before. And um, in the western world there are great gurus as well, but they were also people who just play in an orchestra and don't want to be a guru. There's want to play music. They don't want to compose, they want to play. What's missing for them? So with Tabla, I've invented a notation system that allows people to play Indian drums by just reading like a stage. So left, right, closed, open and suddenly you're money. So that's my, that's my baby at the moment. And uh, schools in Portsmouth and are using it, which is great. So mainstream music teachers are teaching tableau in their classrooms and who am I going to start in September? And that means a whole new world for indie musicians will open up because they can write down their music, they can publish it and earn money from it. And also when they're dead or when they're alive, other people can play it. And that's something that's never happened before in Indian music. Music is incredible thing, isn't it? You can't see it and it makes you cry, makes you dawn. So here's the magical, but indie music has no more magical than Western music, but somehow it got stamped in that time period where it was to do with flying carpets and rope tricks and spirituality and stuff. And I don't think that's done us any good. So that's my next mission and that's my current mission at the moment. Looking back at that younger self, that 20 year old you, what would you say? Everything's going to be okay. Looking back, I think life takes care of us, you know, I mean, as I said before, we're born out of this, we're born in this world, this world is ours. This is us. Actually that's me over there in a way, you know, so there's nothing to sort of um, battle against or fights. Everything around you is for you and for that thing or that person. So I would say something like, yeah, don't, don't be scared. Everything will be okay. Just trust. Yeah. Trust your dreams and first of your heart, I think that was one for all of us, isn't it? Thank you very much called it. It was brilliant.

Speaker 4: 35:14

[inaudible]

Speaker 1: 35:14

thank you. Cool jet for your insights and openness and for sharing your experiences, stories and music that help us to think perhaps about our own lives in a different way. We would also like to thank find my zone radio rooftop and Emmy hotel for hosting us and to Electra and great lab films for helping us to make this web series possible. And finally a huge thank you to everyone for coming to our live events or for listening or watching online. If you're enjoying the series so far, please like rate and review on your podcast or video provider seeing you next time.