30 years of making independent music | The good, bad and ugly make me who I am, says Debojyoti Mishra

Spend an hour with Debojyoti Mishra and the conversation travels effortlessly from Salil Chowdhury and Satyajit Ray to Rituparno Ghosh and Sabyasachi Mukherjee, from the city’s narrow lanes to grand orchestral productions staged across the world.

Marking three decades as an independent composer, he reflects on a life shaped as much by people as music – through friendships, collaborations, books, ideas and chance encounters.

The result is a career spanning films, advertising, literature, television, fashion and heritage projects, defined by the influences and human connections that continue to guide his journey.I become completely immersed while working on historical projects.

The goal is not just to compose music, but to imagine how a civilisation might have soundedBeyond the composer’s deskAdvertising and writing have long run parallel to Mishra’s musical journey.

Beyond films, he worked with leading names in advertising, creating music across TV, radio and digital – often handling concept, lyrics and composition himself.

His work expanded into corporate films, channel identities, brand anthems and international campaigns.

Writing remained a constant outlet, spanning song lyrics, jingles, newspaper essays and books.

He is the author of Ekoda Jahnobiteere, a reflection on his East Bengali roots, as well as books on Satyajit Ray as a composer and Salil Chowdhury. “Whether it’s a song, an advertisement, a newspaper essay or a book, I approach it with the same care and affection.

For me, all of it begins with an idea,” he says.More recently, his long association with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee took his music to his 25th anniversary show which had original orchestral compositions.

He says the designer’s process is visual and instinctive, often requiring him to translate moods, gestures and imagery into music.‘Every student is my child’Mentorship and community occupy as important a place in his life as music itself.

Over the years, he has nurtured generations of artists, many of whom have gone on to establish successful careers, while several collaborators have remained by his side for decades. “I have always believed in people, in fairness, dignity and the possibility of a better world,” he says.

That belief continues to shape his music institute, which he views not simply as a school, but as an extended family.‘Good, bad, and ugly – each one of my experiences make me who I am’He believes his work is inseparable from the places and experiences that shaped him.

The streets of Kolkata, particularly his formative years in Chanditala, Tollygunge continue to inform his imagination and creative outlook.

Over time, he says he has learnt to embrace every part of his journey. “I don’t believe in disowning the good, the bad or even the ugly parts of my life.

Every experience belongs to me, and together they make me who I am,” he says.

That philosophy also guides his collaborations, which he believes are built not on hierarchy or admiration, but on trust, shared conviction and a genuine investment in the work.‘My first lessons came from the people around me’Mishra credits much of his musical education to people he met along the way.

He began as Salil Chowdhury’s assistant on Mrinal Sen’s Akaler Sandhane (1980).

Reflecting on 46 years in music, including 30 as an independent composer, he says his greatest lessons came from mentors and collaborators like Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen and Goutam Ghose, who first recorded his violin. “Late-night addas often brought together figures like Ritwik Ghatak, Uday Shankar and Bahadur Khan.

I didn’t grasp the significance of it then, but growing up in that atmosphere shaped the way I think, imagine and create even today,” he says.My wife Jonaki, an expert in Indian history, has been one of my closest collaborators.

Many of these projects got enriched greatly from her research, perspective and insightThe art of collaborationCollaborations have been central to his creative journey, none more significant than those with filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh on films such as Raincoat, Bariwali, Chokher Bali and Memories in March.

Those partnerships opened doors beyond India, leading to projects in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Over the years, he has come to view collaboration as an exchange between distinct creative worlds, with each artiste bringing a different way of seeing and thinking. “Ritu was a lifelong student.

What mattered to him was not references or comparisons, but a deeper understanding of Tagore.

He wanted to see the world through the eyes of Tagore.

I still feel Kolkata is a lesser city without him,” he says.

Imagining sounds of historyCreating large-scale scores for heritage and historical productions has become one of the defining strands of his career.

These projects demand extensive research, site visits and a deep engagement with history, folklore and architecture to build distinct musical identities for different places and eras.

The work has taken him into collaborations with international orchestras, multimedia productions and global performances, including major productions narrated by Tanusree Shankar, Amitabh Bachchan and Victor Banerjee. “It is among the most creatively demanding things I do.

Each project requires me to enter a different world and imagine how its people, places and histories might have sounded,” he says.I still hold on to the hope John Lennon once sang about: a world that is fairer, kinder and more united.

My music has never been greater than that beliefMonuments with his musicAgra FortKhajurahoVictoria MemorialChanderi FortGandhi Mandap, AssamRamappa TempleHis upcoming projects include interpretations centred on Mohenjo-daro, Yamuna Riverfront Musical Fountain and a multi-year production for Rashtrapati Bhavan Read the latest Entertainment News and Celebrity updates.

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