A man & the blues

Politician Milind Deora may have been born into a political family, but he is also a talented musician.

Indian politicians like to be projected as being unidimensional. They are happy to be photographed, quoted if it is to do with some political development or the other. But try catching them to talk about their pursuits outside of their work and they all clam up, afraid to be exposed as real human beings instead of just boring old politicians.

Which is why first-time member of parliament and part of the circle of young MPs elected along with Rahul Gandhi on the Congress party ticket in the last general elections, Milind Deora makes for a refreshing change. A music enthusiast, Deora isn’t secretive about his interest and, in fact, makes no bones about his musical leanings.

Says Deora, trying to analyse how music became such a big part of his life, “When my brother and I were kids, on Saturdays and Sundays before lunch there would always be music playing in the house.” That mix was eclectic — anything from Bruce Springsteen to Lata Mangeshkar would be played on the home music system, filling the house with melodies just before the family sat down for their meal.

Deora, whose father Murli is a minister in the current government, was gifted an acoustic guitar when he was six. But it wasn’t love at first sight for young Deora. In fact, it wasn’t even interest at first sight. Deora says he “didn’t really enjoy it initially”. He tried to learn to play the guitar from someone in the building where they stayed, but that didn’t last too long. Deora’s mother tried to get him to learn the tabla.

“That too,” says Deora, “didn’t last too long.” At age 10, Deora once again decided to learn to play the guitar. His teacher, he says, wasn’t too fond of him because he thought Deora wasn’t serious enough about learning. Once again, Deora’s interest in his guitar waned.

Five years later, Deora recalls just picking up his guitar, which all this while had stood silently in his room, and trying to play it again. “Then I went back to my teacher and asked him to teach me again.” Now, more than 10 years later, Deora says that the guitar has never left him. “I never felt lonely, as I always had my music. When my friends would talk about cars I would talk about guitars.” He adds, “My brother today is full-time into music. Both of us see music as empowering.”

Eventually, Deora stopped learning from his teacher. He says, “I left, as there was a conflict between him and me. He wanted me to learn the basics and I wanted to play the music greats. I discovered more and more music.” Even when Deora moved to the US to study, he continued to play the guitar and often performed as part of a band. But he adds, “I never had the guts to do music full-time. I felt that I wasn’t good enough to be a full-time musician. I feel my brother has also got into it too late.”

For Deora, one of the highest points in his musical journey was when he jammed with Buddy Guy, the blues and rock guitarist. “Buddy Guy is a hero to my heroes” — legends like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Adds Deora, “I used to see Buddy Guy in Chicago when I was working there.” Guy, who had come to Mumbai to perform, initially didn’t entertain the idea of Deora jamming with him on stage. Recounts Deora, “At dinner, before the performance, I was talking to him about black politics and so on, and somewhere down the line he told me that I could play with him.”

Guitars and music are all that Deora says he shops for when he travels abroad. In his home in Delhi, for instance, he has two guitars, and there are four more in Mumbai. He adds, “Once a year I try to go for a live concert.” Such is Deora’s devotion to music that he doesn’t like Electronica or commercialised music. And Bollywood music he puts in the latter category.

Says Deora, “For me, Bollywood music is associated with NRI weddings. This may sound like a dogmatic view but musicians are heroes to me. They are people who are sacrificing so much of themselves for their music. And that’s how I do my politics as well.” And adds, “My music heros have taught me integrity. I have learnt from music. For me, politics isn’t frivolous.”

Is there a connect between politics, his daytime job, and music? Says Deora, “Music, in many ways, can be selfish and selfless. Music for me is a selfish thing, but I see politics as being selfless.” With that, Deora is off for some political meeting or the other — but no doubt with a song on his lips.