Antaragni (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Antaragni


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Origin = Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Genre = Indian Fusion
Years_active = 1998 – 2004
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URL = http://www.antaragni-online.com
Current_members = Raghupathy Dixit (Vocals/Guitar)
Manoj George (Violin)
Alwyn Fernandes (Lead Guitar)
Josy John (Bass)
Gopinath (Percussions)
Past_members = H.N.Bhaskar (Violin)
Ravichandra Rao(Flute/Kanjira)
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Antaragni was a fusion band from Bangalore which disbanded in 2004. Antaragni's repertoire included an amalgamation of Indian Classical, Folk and Western rock, funk, pop and country.

After Antaragni disbanded, the band's frontman, Raghupathy Dixit went on to form The Raghu Dixit Project, which he likes to refer to as an open house for musicians and artistes from different genres to come together, collaborate and create a dynamic sound and expression.

Etymology

The name "Antaragni", as the band was so named, is a union of two Sanskrit words - 'Antar' meaning 'within' and 'Agni' meaning fire. Put together, they form 'Antar Ki Agni' or 'Antaragni' for short, literally meaning 'the fire within'. The name of the band reflects the passion and zeal of its members for music.

History

The Early Years

Antaragni, which went on to become one of Bangalore's most popular music acts, was formed sometime in the late 90's by guitarist/songwriter/singer Raghupathy Dixit. An experimentalist constantly in search of a new sound, Raghu hit it off with talented violin player H.N. Bhaskar. Together the duo formed Antaragni. Armed with a new sound, Raghu and Bhaskar moved base to Bangalore, where they started making waves. They also met Ravichandra Rao, a flautist and percussionist of repute, and their music continued to evolve. By concocting a potpourri of Indian classical, folk and western undertones, Antaragni began to rock Bangalore.

Take Two

In Bangalore, Raghu met Manoj, a violinist trained in western classical music. Together, Raghu, Manoj and Bhaskar started churning out some delightfully refreshing music strongly laced with Indian folk influences. The two violinists trained in different styles added slick musical tussles ( known as "jugalbandi") to the songs, and it seemed the band had two lead violinists, instead of the conventional lead guitarist. The band's fame continued to grow as it won competitions across the country with a voracious appetitie. The most notable being winning the Radio City competition [ [http://www.themusicmagazine.com/radiocitylive02.html The Music Magazine - India's first and finest music e-zine ] ] to be crowned the best band in Bangalore. Their first major tryst with fame however came when they were invited to open for Bryan Adams when he came to town [ [http://www.themusicmagazine.com/bryanconrev01.html The Music Magazine - India's first and finest music e-zine ] ] , before a 30,000 crowd. Antaragni had arrived.
Unfortunately, the priorities of Ravi and Bhaskar as professional musicians differed from that of Raghu and they made their silent exits.

Final Bow

Raghu and Manoj continued performing with guest artists until they finally disbanded in 2004.

External links

* [http://raghudixit.com The Raghu Dixit Project official website]
* [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/9669/rd.htm Raghupathy Dixit, Antaragni, Bangalore, India]

References