Shravan Bohra, like any twenty-year-old, is figuring out his life as he goes. However, his eternal love for music is one thing that he is very certain of. A guitarist with more than sixty covers on various platforms and two original compositions, Shravan knows his interest in music is no longer limited as a hobby. His ambition strives to gain more in the field. So taking one step at a time, he is on his way to make a future out of his passion.
Shravan has been connected with the strings of a guitar since middle school. He has fond memories of a teacher he used to adore, who would bring his guitar in classes to make them more fun. Shravan’s appreciation of music began there, and he silently picked up an interest in it. It was the same teacher who would offer his guidance to teach him the basics of guitar. From taking crowded buses to walking long distances in order to reach for his lessons, Sharvan dedicated a lot as a kid to learn to play this instrument. Little did he know then that this hobby would end up becoming his full-time passion.
Later, however, Youtube was to become his next “adopted Guru”, as he likes to say. He would download tons of videos and lessons for practice. He reveals how he explored many different styles but ended up sticking with Fingerstyle guitar purely because it was challenging to master. After giving it ample time for practice, he succeeded in playing the chords, leads, and bassline as the song’s pace would demand. “Youtube was and will always be my go-to place to learn” he likes to admit.
Speaking of his own original compositions, he says the rhythm of his first original, “Ebb and Flow” was with him for years. To come up with something new that people would want to listen to is difficult indeed. But then, he says, music is just a way to express what you feel. “You cannot search for it, you somehow just feel it”. That was how it was with his first original. He knew what it was going to be, without knowing how to convert it into a song. It was only after three years after the realisation of the idea, that he was able to give it a shot. He recorded and released it, garnering some really good response.
His second release, “Delira”, was a surprise to him. On a rough day, while listening to some music he was suddenly struck with a tune of his own. He started playing on it, improving and developing it, finally settling for a four-minute piece. It turned out good and offered not just a sense of satisfaction, but also became his go-to respite for bad days. That is what the goal of the music was for him– to make something peaceful. And he believes that as long as it offers that to somebody else, even if only one person, he would consider it a success.
Of course, not everyone in Shravan’s life put faith in what he was doing, he goes on to say. The idea of just instrumentals earning an audience was not deemed plausible, and he would receive advice to add vocals and lyrics to the music. But he decided to stick to what he was doing and released his first composition. He accepts that while handling criticisms and failures sportingly is the best way to go, it has to be balanced with having confidence in yourself and your skillset. There’s always room to be better. And that can only happen when one keeps moving forward, working towards achieving it. That’s how Shravan sums up his perceptions about his creations as an artist.
An interest develops as a hobby, which later makes you more passionate about it, until one day you realize that this is where you belong. That’s how Shravan expresses the acquisition of talent coupled with ambition, an experience true to his life. And so he says to young people like him figuring out their career and goals, making big and small life decisions, that figuring out your niche may be the hard first step. Once you have a clear mind of that, and skills to accompany it, there is only patience that you need. Go slow, take no shortcuts, and if you want to compare, only compare yourself to your past selves. That’s the advice he outlines as gained from his own experiences.
A sports enthusiast, Sharvan quotes MS Dhoni by the end, something that he likes to live by. “Never let success get to your head and never let failure get to your heart”, he remarks.
