Ladies and Gentlemen,
It was, to the best of my recollection, sometime in 2005, that I first met and worked with Nikhil Mawkin. He performed a large format show (auditorium, 700-800 member audience) with a complete assembly of musicians.
I mean this was a freaking show, not something people did in India often (or at all). Nikhil put together this show, on his own, with a 15 member band, hiring auditoriums, creating parts and running practices, finding sponsors and funding, compliance, and then being the star of the night, all on his own.
He was, at that point, about 20 years old.
Musically, I maintain that there are few who can touch him. Not because he is my friend, but because he is that good. Besides being musically gifted, there is something about the art of performance that him and I love and understand. It is a stage and playing your music is one thing, but performing it is what creates the magic.
I was in touch with Nikhil off and on through the years (I'm good at making friends, not great at forming close bonds). I knew he was disillusioned with performance and people through the years and when you care about something passionately and nobody seems to, it's bloody disheartening.
When we opened the first small Piano Man Art Cafe in Vasant Vihar, and we tried to encourage people to listen and create a more pro artist environment, Nikhil used to come and play for nothing (always a source of embarrassment for me) and then thank me on top of that.
When The Jazz Club came about, Nikhil, I think, was in the disillusioned space. Performance meant nothing, because nobody was willing to accept your art the way you present it (which is largely a growing absence of patience) plus he had tried a few jobs with people who had treated him poorly.
I feel bad for what he went through ladies and gentlemen, but it is the sum total of the experiences in your life that make you who you are, and Nikhil is the one of the Vital-est organs of The Piano Man (there is Manoj K Pandey, one of the pillars of what we do, who I just realised is long overdue a proper introduction).
We had a heart to heart conversation, Nikhil joined the team. The first day on the job, I saw a different person. His body language changed, his tone of conversation, attitude everything. Here was a man who wanted to make a difference.
I have learned a lot about him in the last few months, and I have to come respect him immensely and love him like family. Long story short, if I were to summarize Nikhil, he has incredible observational skills, and a distinctly refreshing point of view, his can read most people and situations like a book, and most people don't realize that. He is ethical and cares about the music scene and the musicians in it. He wants to be a part of the change, but is so much more than a mere part. He is brilliant, so whether he focuses on music or anything else, the result is always a treat.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the next time you meet him at The Piano Man, or anywhere else, please thank him for the wonderful music he makes, and for the almost 300 nights of fabulous music he has curated on the stage of The Piano Man.
.... to be continued (Parts 2 and 3, Rea and Manoj respectively)
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