Veda is an artist whose whole bag is filled with a lot of talent. You name any artwork, and she excels in all. We are sure her interview is as exciting as her personality is.
Read below:
1. Hello, Veda; glad to have you for the interview. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello! My name is Veda. I am from the lower Himalayas of India, Kasauli, specifically. I grew up with hippie parents, travelling around a lot since I was born. I grew up around people from liteVeda rally the whole world and picked up on their languages, ideologies and ways of life. I create many different kinds of art, from music to jewellery designing, flow arts and many other expressions.
2. What led you to be a multi-lingual musician, Dj and artist?
Because of my lifestyle, I was exposed to music from many corners of the world. I sing in about 17 languages from the whole world. I intend to make people feel the music without the limitation of words. To flow with the music and accept the feeling that arises in their heart when they hear words that mean nothing to them.
About being a DJ, I LOVE Dancing. My love for dance and movement lead me to be a DJ and share the music I love with the people around me. I like to move in life, believing everything around me can be art, from how I move to how I arrange things around me.
3. Can you tell us about your journey till now? What is the best part about it?
My journey until now includes my Whole Life. How do I even start or finish!? Hehe…It is just like the journey of every other human being with a lot of stories, lessons, ups, downs and many Blessings!
If I had to choose 1 best part of my journey, I would go back to the beginning and say that it is being born to my parents. The way they chose their life gave me the freedom and exposure to go through life in such a way that it made me who I am now.
4. Looking at your profile, it seems you are not only a musician, DJ and artist but also very connected to nature. Can you tell us how everything co-relates to you?
I am very connected to Nature. I would like to believe that I am Nature. We are all made from her and go back to her. Living in cities, being surrounded by monumental buildings and noise, sometimes makes us forget this feeling of being One with Nature.
But as long as there are Clear Skies, Trees, Birds, Horizons, fellow Humans, Animals, Flowing Waters, and every other Beautiful thing that thrives without man-made materials, We can all feel this Oneness. There is a direct flow of inspiration through Nature for my art. This is how I co-relate my art to Nature.
5. How has the journey to your career as an artist been so far? Can you share some experiences with us?
I have only recently started considering my art as a career and trying to monetise it. I constantly try to balance my love for art and earning money. It is a difficult balance to achieve. If there is an opportunity where I can share my art for the betterment of the Earth, spreading awareness or for pure connections and good intentions, I don’t really care about the monetary aspect.
Some of my Best experiences have been making live music shows to raise funds for an orphanage at an event called Nawazish and at the Campers Music Festival, an eco-friendly/sustainable music festival.
6. What has been your biggest hurdle and achievement as a multi-lingual musician?
My biggest hurdle as a multi-lingual musician sometimes is knowing that not all people will enjoy or understand my music. It takes a lot of silence and deep listening to feel the music you have never heard before and words you don’t understand.
Sometimes, people don’t have the patience to listen and start talking or getting restless, making it hard for me to connect with the listeners. My most significant achievement is finding people who enjoy and Love my music 🙂
7. How do you manage to maintain the algorithm and continue this career, online as well as offline? Can you give us some tricks? 🙂
I am not really consciously working on maintaining an algorithm for now. I am just trying to go with the flow and am on my way to getting the platforms/opportunities to share my art. It is a bit complicated to understand what needs to be done right to have an online presence, but I record and upload snippets of my life.
Offline, I entirely rely on the human connections I build along the way.
8. Would you have chosen any other career path if not an artist?
When I was little, I wanted to be a Natural Disaster Chaser. Like finding and learning about tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes etc. That didn’t work out. haha
I have a BBA in Tourism and Travel Management as an educational qualification . But eventually, I think an artist can only return to their art.
9. You are an owner of your hangout bar and lounge, named hangoutinkasauli….how did this venture come to life? How do you manage a business as well as life as an artist?
Hangout Rooftop Bar and Lounge is the rooftop at Hotel Kasauli regency, our family-run business that my parents started with their friends around 14 years ago.
It is truly a different type of place that is very artist oriented, making my work super fun. We organise weekly Open Mics and Techno parties which actually help me practice and improve my art. I have the freedom to experiment here.
10.. Lastly, How would you guide someone who wants to be an all-rounder like you? Get into the spirit of art, music and nature. A few pieces of advice would be great 🙂
I think the first step is to work towards having a strong base, which can either be financially or as a good support system of a community/family.
Then to just find the things you enjoy from your heart and the things that you love sharing.
Every Year, I take at least a month-long break to reset myself in complete nature with other artists and humans. In this gathering, we all organise and come together to live in remote locations where there is no electricity/ cellular service/ settlements etc.
Our intention is not to use electronic devices and to go back to the life that humans lived many years before, entirely dependent upon nature.
We collect wood, make fires, bathe in the natural flowing waters, cook and make music and art together. This break resets and lets me start fresh all over again.
