The Obelisk Questionnaire: Ashish Niraj Dharkar of Dirge
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Ashish Niraj Dharkar of Dirge, Pacifist and The Earth Below
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I’m a musician and an educator living in Mumbai, India. I started playing guitar in 2011 and knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The connection with the instrument was real and very strong from the very beginning. It was a very difficult time for me in my personal life and music became a medium of catharsis for me. I currently play guitars in Dirge, Pacifist & The Earth Below.
Describe your first musical memory.
I grew up in quite a non-musical family in general and there weren’t a lot of music related activities in my school either. I’ve always been a sucker for melancholic and beautiful melodies though, that’s what I’ve connected to the most. I remember a friend of mine gave me a CD which had a lot of popular songs by Metallica, Linkin Park, Green Day, Scorpions, Iron Maiden etc. I’m so glad to have checked it out cause hearing a distorted guitar for the first time literally changed my life forever. It was the coolest sound I ever heard and the love for discovering new sounds just got stronger from there.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
I think the best memory must be going to the Roadburn Festival in 2019 and watching a lot of my all-time favourite artists live. The whole experience of going to Europe for the first time, exploring beautiful places, meeting new people and being at a festival with artists I looked up to; it was magical. Apart from that, I’ve had some amazing memories of writing music and playing shows here in India with my bands. I hope to travel and play at new places in other countries too.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I grew up in a very loving family and had quite a beautiful childhood overall I must say. My grandfather and father both were the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. They had a very tough life growing up with some serious obstacles and worked hard to reach where they were. They always showered endless love upon us, and family always came first for them. It just felt like that’ll last forever. But they both passed away over a span of four years while I was still in my teens. It was the lowest point in my life and took a lot of will power and courage to move forward and believe in things again. These tragic events really shook my belief of having endless time with the ones you love and sometimes taking things for granted. You never know when will be your last moment here and life truly is unpredictable. We must make the most with the time we have.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Self-discovery and understanding the bigger picture.
How to define success?
Honestly, it’s quite difficult to define success in a way as it keeps changing for me with time. Being able to do music full-time as an educator and playing music that I strongly connect with in a few bands is really satisfying to me. It’s not easy doing that living in India where pretty much everything is against us. It gets quite frustrating at times to be a part of a society where you always feel like an outsider. But I’m lucky to be living a life on my own terms and playing music I truly believe in with some of my closest friends. I hope I can continue to do so forever. Also, my family and close friends have always been very supportive of my musical endeavours and I’m so grateful for that. Touring in Europe with my bands (whenever that happens) will feel like success to me on some level.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Deaths of close ones at a very early age.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I really want to make dark post-punk and shoegaze inspired dance music in the vein of Boy Harsher, She Past Away, Public Memory, The Cure, etc. I need to improve my production skills to get this going.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
In my opinion, honest and true expression straight from the heart with zero compromises is really important when it comes to art. Art is such a pure cathartic medium to let your deepest feelings out and it connects people together from across the globe. I absolutely can’t imagine a life without it
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to.
I really enjoy photography and finally managed to get a good camera recently. I’m having a lot of fun with it. Hoping to travel to some new places in the next few years and take loads of pictures. I also really want to watch a Manchester United match at Old Trafford someday. I’m a HUGE fan.
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