At the age of 5, a seemingly small from my uncle- a small keyboard, changed my life. This gesture had a lifelong impact as the seed of music was sown in my heart. Whenever I was upset, the keyboard became my escape.

The next spark came in 1995 from Shahrukh Khan and his mandolin in DDLJ. Mad after the iconic melody, I bought a mandolin and learned it note by note.

As any other middle-class Indian parents would do, my parents also stressed over my studies. Music remained in my life, but only as a side character, waiting for its moment to shine.

All it takes is a spark to rekindle a latent fire, this one came from college seniors. Peer pressure can take many forms, especially in an engineering college. Thankfully, my peers only led me to Guitar lessons and stage performances. In my old ragged jeans, I played- “Puraani Jeans” and “Papa Kehte Hai” Ironic, right?

College deepened my love for music with jamming sessions. I lived my rockstar dreams through these sessions. Be it metal or rock we jammed on everything and participated in every inter-college event.

As is the fate of every unconventional dream, mine too was killed by the corporate world as I completed my MBA and joined the workforce. But a dream nurtured since the age of 5, wasn’t going to die so easy. Proof? My first salary was spent on buying a beautiful Ibanez guitar and I formed a band. I was a corporate employee in the day and a musician by night.

My musical dreams were lost in darkness as I struggled for direction. I wanted professional guidance and I reached out to several teachers for the same But unfortunately, every experience turned out to be formal and uninspiring.

A new chapter in my life began with my marriage. It brought on new responsibilities that ate away the hours of music I stole from my job. It was during this phase that I realised, I can’t live without music.

My wife became my strength and pushed me to pursue a diploma in music performance at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM). This turned out to be the last push I needed for the next big step.

Leaving the comfort of a stable job for the turbulent waters of creative pursuit is no joke. Thankfully, I am blessed with a supportive family and an incredible partner in my wife, who made it possible. I finally broke the shackles of the corporate world and went on to pursue music full-time.

My struggle to find a good mentor, made me realize how difficult it is to get quality music education nearby. After teaching a few students, I knew I could make learning both enjoyable and effective.

The Guitar School was officially born on May 4, 2013, with my passion to make quality music education accessible. My vision is not just to provide education but to be a mentor and friend to musicians facing the same hardships as me, like societal pressures, lack of family support, and the absence of good teachers. With Guitar School, my musical journey has finally found a real purpose and my life has attained fulfillment. I will always be grateful to my students for giving me a second chance at fulfilling my musical dreams.