Utsyo Chakraborty and Yashb Gunaeskar: in conversation

I was kindly offered to be interviewed by the young Indian pianist-composer and alumni of the KM Music Conservatory, Yashb Gunaeskar, for an article he would be writing on Indian composers. Here is our conversation, which was recorded in one take (it's not perfect - I apologize for my slightly wobbly setup!) on the morning of 13th July 2024.
Here are some of the things we talked about:
00:00 Introducing ourselves
01:43 The interest in Western Classical Music
04:45 What it means to be a 'self-taught' composer
09:55 "Piano Fantasy": the piece I wrote for Yashb
15:00 The 'outsider' status of being an Indian composer
18:11 Some words of advice for Indian and South Asian musicians
23:08 What's next?

[@stephenjablonsky1941]

A highly informative interview from half way around the world. The 25 minutes went by very quickly. Now let's go listen to Utsyo's music.

[@diproch7]

This interview was a truly remarkable listen. Some of the points raised were really fascinating and refreshing. Also credit to Yashb for asking such relevant and pertinent questions.

[@jeffgrigsbyjones]

I made the comment about Navrasa that you mentioned. It's interesting to that even though you were touched by the compliment, nonetheless, you felt "othered" because I called out that you weren't from one of the traditional centers of classical music. I can understand that. It's easy to think, okay, would this guy still be listening to a fledgling composer like me if I was a composer from France or Germany, or is he just listening in a patronizing manner because I'm not from one of the usual countries, and getting impressed because it's not completely terrible? You could get the sense that I'm not sincere or that I think you're "good for an Indian." But that's not the case. I believe the music you've written so far is exceptional and you really could go very far. I do think it is slightly naive - which is understandable now that I know that you were a self-taught composer. But a lot of great composers wrote memorable works while they were still young and naive. Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 3/2, Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu, Beethoven's "Moonlight," Hindemith's 1922, are all works that people love, but that the composers later disavowed as unrepresentative or lesser works. Even so, they still stick in the public consciousness. I think your output so far has that kind of quality, too. Maybe someday you will look back on your "early works" with contempt, but I hope you will still be proud anyway. Navrasa is a banger!
I hope that you find those opportunities to improve and grow and learn, and keep searching for those ways to look forward and not back. And I'll keep watching.