On his lengthiest song – at seven-and-a-half minutes – Dixit takes another Purandara Dasa mainstay ‘Tarakka Bindige’ and adeptly builds it up to stay in the listener’s mind not just for its vocal melodies, but also for the smooth saxophone solo. The acoustic guitars lilt and take centre-stage for the heart-tugging ‘Amma’, while harmonium leads inform the ballad that is ‘Neelamegha’. He switches up to offer groovy saxophone-fed jazz-fusion on ‘Kelabyada’, turning to familiar Swarathma-esque slow-built folk rock on his ode to his hometown on ‘Mysuru’. It is the second song on the album, with the opening track ‘Nadiyolage’ introducing a more sombre side of the singer-songwriter. ‘Ragi Tandira’ gets foot-tapping ukulele rhythm and Dixit’s signature impassioned style of vocals, delivering Purandara Dasa words of wisdom. The mischievous, daring and thought-provoking side of Dixit is one, and the gentle, emotional and heartfelt is another – both come together on this 10-track Kannada album that shifts moods deftly.

Most recently, he was standing by on a side walk somewhere in JP Nagar with his trusted guitar-ukulele, trying to confront motorists who thought they could take an illegal short cut. He gained a bit of viral fame when he boarded a bus and handed out lyric sheets and just started strumming and singing, much to the bemusement and encouragement of complete strangers.

If you know Dixit for anything by now, it might possibly be ‘Ragi Tandira’. His self-titled debut album is a result of three years of performing and writing songs that did not necessarily fit into Swarathma’s thematic universe. Raah-E-Fakira in November and within months, Dixit has shot back into the limelight for his solo material. With his folk-rock band Swarathma, they released their long-awaited album In the span of a year, Bengaluru’s favourite troubadour Vasu Dixit has done what many musicians would envy.

Tarakka bindige lyrics