Since 2005, Mysuru-huduga Raghu Dixit has been a prominent figure in the Indian folk and fusion music scene. Raghu Dixit was born in Nasik and moved to Mysore at the age of eight. He grew up in a family where classical music was a part of life. His mother loved it but he was never really moved by it to make a career in it. The first live act that he saw was Rock Machine (now Indus Creed) and he was blown away with how an Indian band could be so good. That put him on the path of becoming a professional musician.

However, it didn’t happen overnight and needed a little bit of luck as well. A bet with a friend made him pick up the guitar and write his first lyric. An eavesdropping landlord in Brussels (where he worked for a pharmaceutical company) got him his first radio telecast and its success prompted him to return to India. After coming back to India, he tirelessly worked and gigged for eight years until he got a recording contract from Vishal and Shekhar during a gig in Mumbai. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

Now, the Mysore Folk Rock Machine is back with a new track called “Tsunami”. It’s a serenading duet with popular Kannada actress Samyukta Hornad. Coincidentally, this happens to be her first ever foray into singing professionally. She was initially hesitant to do the duet but Raghu Dixit managed to convince her. The track is an ode to the selfless, unconditional love that pets have towards us. The music video is in the memory of Dixit and Hornad’s pets, Thunti and Gunda and it aims to encourage people to adopt pets from animal shelters so that these loving animals can get a chance at a second life and a second home.

For the video, Raghu Dixit and Samyukta Hornad had asked their fans and followers to share pictures of themselves with their adopted pets. The fans poured in with their pictures and they have been included in the video. The song has been performed in both Kannada and Hindi by Raghu Dixit and Samyukta Hornad. Raghavendra V Kamath has penned the Kannada lyrics while the Hindi lyrics have been written by Neeraj Rawat.

Aside from the lovely pets in the music video, the highlights of the song are definitely the vocal performances of Raghu Dixit and Samyukta Hornad. While Raghu Dixit’s wonderful job at singing his heart out and making us feel his emotions through his words isn’t surprising at all, it’s the soulful and heartfelt performance of Samyukta Hornad that is a pleasant surprise. She doesn’t sound like an actress who is just “dabbling” with singing, she sounds like a singer. This is definitely something she should do more in the future.

Musically, the song has a soft and pleasing acoustic arrangement which goes very well with the lyrical theme. The melodies are extremely pleasing and catchy, and both the singers deliver their lines with heartfelt conviction. 

Raghu Dixit is definitely one of the most talented, imaginative and original artists in the Indian music industry and “Tsunami” is another feather on his cap. For Samyukta Hornad, it’s definitely a sign of more great things to come in the future.

Whether you have pets or not, “Tsunami” is going to warm your heart. After all, how can we call ourselves human and stay unaffected by unconditional love? Don’t hesitate, drown yourself in it.

Verdict: A true tsunami of love and affection.

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