Shadow And Light: Finding Balance

The New Delhi fusion duo talk about their upcoming album, teaming up with Karsh Kale and the challenges of working within Hindustani classical.

- Riddhi Chakraborty

IN THEIR THREE YEARS as a duo, New Delhi-based act Shadow and Light have established themselves as an act that isn’t afraid take on the unconventional. Pavithra Chari (vocals) and Anindo Bose (arrangement) blend electronica, jazz and blues on their compositions, but what truly makes them stand out amongst their peers is the unexpected but refreshing addition of Indian classical.

Trained under veteran vocalist Shubha Mudgal, Chari also displays a remarkable flair for the Western vocal styles that complement Bose’s roots in R&B and fusion, thus allowing for a vast arsenal of mus ical skills between them.

The two initially met in 2012 when Bose (who plays the keyboards for New Delhi fusion act Advaita) was auditioning for singers for a musical. Although Chari never did end up participating in the show, Bose noted her talent and kept in touch, eventually advising her to make a demo. Says Chari, “Though I had made melodies and sung original music before, I had never really written something on my own. So I was a little scared but I thought, let’s give it a shot.” Bose liked the demo so much he asked her if he could make a few additions production-wise. The result was a song titled “Shadow and Light,” which eventually became the duo’s name.

Bose, on his part, recalls how Chari’s demo impacted him—it came as a particular time in his life when he wasn’t finding much inspiration to make music. “Even though she sent me something that would have been her demo, I sort of stole the idea and thought, ‘I want to write some part of this too,’” he says with a laugh.