Shirish Nimgaonkar, the winner of New England Sa Re Ga Ma contest (similar to the American Idol) is an investment banker by profession with degrees from IIT,(B.Tech EE),   Stanford and Harvard(MBA) . An outstanding musician, he is also a national level sailor who has a passion for community service. He spoke to Lokvani his love for music and how he maintains work life balance

Congratulations on winning Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. What does the award mean to you?
It is an inspiration to continue my focus on music.

Tell us a bit about the contest. What motivated you to take part in the competition?
Sa Re Ga Ma (similar to the American Idol in the US) has been a very popular contest in India, with its winners and compeers becoming renowned Bollywood singers (Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Shaan, etc). Its popularity and the fact that such a contest was being organized in New England for the first time, drew a very enthusiastic response. 5 finalists were chosen from approximately 30 semi-finalists, who were in turn chosen from over 100 contestants. The judges were renowned Bollywood singers and composers like Pranab Biswas and Minoo Purushottam. I viewed it as a very good platform to be in the midst of renowned Bollywood musicians and compete with promising singers. It was certainly a validation of my efforts when one of the judges, Pranab Biswas commented that I have the potential to become a Bollywood playback singer.

Was it a risk to participate in the contest considering that you were already becoming popular in the music circles?
There was certainly a risk in participating, for there is always a chance that you may not win. Someone also suggested that I could be one of the guest singers for the final event. As Cicero once said “If you aspire to the highest place, it is no disgrace to stop at the second, or even the third place.”

Can you tell us a little about your musical background?
My parents encouraged me to start learning music at a very early age. I earned a "Sangeet Visharad" in Indian classical music – vocals (equivalent to Bachelors in music), "Madhyama Purna" in Tabla and have also learned the keyboard. I have performed frequently in India and the US in classical as well as light music shows and have done several fundraisers for different non-profit organizations.

How important would you say classical music training is for light music singers?
I think formal classical music and voice training enables a strong grasp of music fundamentals and provides a platform for venturing into any kind of music, including light music. It enables the steadiness of voice and increases its range. Most renowned singers in Bollywood like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Rafi, Manna Dey, etc and in western music like Norah Jones, Mariah Carey, Beyonce Knowles, etc have had formal classical and voice training.

Could you tell us a little about your work, education and other interests?
I am currently a Vice President at Access International Capital an investment bank focused on mergers and acquisitions advisory in US, Europe and emerging markets like India and China. I head the technology transactions practice and have also helped to incubate the private equity practice. On the education front, I have a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay, M.S. in engineering from Stanford University (ITC Scholar) and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. I am also an avid sailor.

Could you tell us a little about your community activities?
I am on the executive committee of “The Boston Pledge” (www.thebostonpledge.org) a non-profit that promotes entrepreneurship at the grass roots level in the US, India and Africa. I am also on the core team of “Pratham”(www.prathamusa.org) a non-profit that enables primary education for the underprivileged children in India.

You have an exceptional academic resume IIT, Stanford and HBS. Your career in banking is also flying high and you are very active in community service. In the midst of all of this you continue to focus a lot on your music. What place does music have in your life?
Music is a strong passion for me. It is also a means for me to contribute towards social causes, by fundraising and awareness generation through my music shows.

Can you tell us a little about your group Kashish and your upcoming show?
I started the music band “Kashish” (meaning “attraction”) around an year ago to bridge my passions for music and community service. All team members of Kashish have received training in classical music (Indian or Western) and share a deep passion for social causes. Our music transcends the boundaries of cultures, generations and time. We have original compositions in Indian and western music, fusion music and also perform Bollywood music extensively. You can check us out at “www.kashishtunes.com”. We are doing a fundraiser for The Boston Pledge on July 31st, 2010 at 7.30 PM at 125 Prospect Street in Framingham, MA. It will be an audio-visual show featuring several immortal hits from Bollywood with accompanying videos. We have several other shows coming up in the rest of the year for different non-profit organizations. You can get more information about our upcoming shows on the Kashish site.

What advice do you have for children who may be in your shoes - with talents in academics and music and torn between two careers - one perhaps more financially attractive and another in music?
Have fun doing whatever it is that you desire to accomplish. If you do it because you love it, it ceases to be work and you will be good at it. Understand the tradeoffs. If you are really good at it, have a long term view and are determined, you will also do well financially. As Katherine Graham said “To love what you do and feel that it matters – how could anything be more fun?”

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