In a near superhero like secret lifestyle, Pravin Gaonkarhides his true identity for the most part. Posing as a teacher on a day to daybasis, the man chooses to occasionally unleash his musical prowess andinadvertently wow audiences in the process.
Gaonkar laughs when he recounts his considerably latemusical beginning. “It was quite by chance that I got into this. At the age of21, I decided that this was where my real focus was. So in addition to workingon my post-graduation at the time, I decided to study music, enrolled myself atthe Kala Academy, and never looked back since,” he says.
Having been born and raised in Canacona, he never had theopportunity to pursue his dream when he was growing up, yet performing issecond, if not first nature to him. “I have performed over a 100 times, with mysmaller performances being well over a thousand,” he adds.
And his recent propelling to the spotlight has beenhighlighted by his 2010 performance in Singapore, at the country’s Temple ofFine Arts. Yet he is true to his roots, and grateful to none more than his GuruKamlakar Naik, who he attributes most of his success to.
“We need to be real, and give credit where it is due. MyGuru is the one who has made this possible, in many ways. Without him, Iwouldn’t have performed across the country countless times the way I have,”Gaonkar affirms.
And with modesty such as this, coupled with his recentlyunveiled fusion album containing songs performed at Forum Lisboa, the future isindeed as black and white for Gaonkar, as the board and chalk he uses toeducate those around him.
