The Talktopia Sessions

In this episode of Talktopia Sessions, hosts Abhijit and Ashish welcome guitarist and songwriter Rohit H. Sivaram, visiting from the United States, to discuss his journey from being born in the US to growing up in Hyderabad, learning guitar through bands and early online lessons, and later moving back to the US to study at Berklee and build his career. Rohit shares key influences from ’80s hard ro...

Season 2 of The Talktopia Sessions opens with drummer and long-time music teacher 'Ashwani Verma', recounting how he discovered drums in his school music room, the early influence of cassette culture, and heroes like Dave Weckl and Vinnie Colaiuta. He discusses formative Delhi competitions and college festival scenes, early bands like Clandestine and the formation of Orange Street, plus the thrill...

Debjit Mitra and Hafeez Ahmed are stepping far beyond the traditional role of musicians. They’re exploring what it means to carry the depth, nuance, and legacy of Indian classical music into a future shaped by AI. But this isn’t just about technology. It’s about responsibility. At a time when music can be scraped, processed, and repurposed at scale, they’re asking the difficult questions — how do...

Aryan Sharma may describe himself as a singer and actor in his bio — but he’s clearly much more than that. Friendly, courteous and incredibly hardworking, Aryan has been steadily hustling and making impressive inroads into Mumbai’s fiercely competitive worlds of Bollywood playback singing and acting. In this episode, he shares stories from his journey so far — the highs, the struggles, and the les...

In this episode of The Talktopia Sessions, we sit down with Arjun Sen known also in the music circles as AJ, an accomplished Indian guitarist known for his musical depth, versatility, and years of experience across live performance, studio work, and collaborations. Arjun talks about his journey as a guitar player in India—early influences, shaping a personal sound, navigating the live music scene,...

Ravi Iyer is a living example that one can be like no one else and still hold their own as a Musical Voice that’s endured changing tides for over three decades of life. Even if you have heard Indian Fusion you’ve probably never heard music like his and YES we do have a lot of music in this episode as usual! His life and times, his influences and beliefs, all the places he’s been to and the promise...

In this episode of Talktopia Sessions, we sit down with Pranay Verma, guitarist, composer, session musician, and one of Delhi’s most in-demand musical collaborators. From jazz and soul to blues, rock, and Brazilian grooves, Pranay has steadily built his reputation in the modern Indian independent music scene, both on stage and in the studio. We dive into his journey of growing up as a guitarist in...

Tipriti “Tips” Kharbangar is widely regarded as one of India’s most powerful and soulful voices — a singer whose raw emotion, impeccable control, and deep musicality have inspired audiences across the country. In this interview, she opens up about her journey from growing up in Shillong’s vibrant music culture to finding her own unique sound rooted in blues, soul and the stories of the hills she c...

Hosts Abhijit Chanda and Ashish Ddavidd sit down with Diyatom Deb and Sushant Thakur of Big Bang Blues for a powerful, music-packed conversation. From their journey in the Delhi indie scene to the evolution of Big Bang Blues and their various other musical outfits, songwriting, tone-building, touring stories, and the soul behind their sound - this episode dives into everything that makes them one...

In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Abhijit Chanda and Ashish Ddavidd sit down with Shashank Bhatnagar, the legendary ex-vocalist of Undying Inc, one of India’s most ferocious and influential metal bands. Shashank opens up about his early days in the scene, the rise of Indian metal in the 2000s, what really went on behind the sound and the stage, and how he’s evolved as an artist, performer,...

We had an absolute blast hosting Winston Balman at Elf Studios, Delhi for a super fun podcast interview session. The vibe was easy and honest—just great conversations about music, life, and everything in between. Winston, with his signature mix of country, blues, and rock ’n’ roll, shared stories from his journey and insights into the indie scene in a way only he can. With the cozy, creative energ...