Madhumita Bhaskar - I Could Identify an Absence of Focus on Early Music Education in Spite of the Subject Being Extremely Rich (Founder and CEO ShrotaHouse )

We aim to be the world's best early-learning ecosystem for Indian classical music.

1. Tell us more about your journey. 

Since childhood, I have loved doing creative arts and have always been most happy interacting with children. After completing my engineering degree, I continued to work in the software industry, also from USA. I was on a career break as a young mother, however pursuing my artistic interests all throughout. Importantly, I had been making some observations in the Indian classical music space, over many years. 

I could identify an absence of focus on early music education in spite of the subject being extremely rich and interesting. The idea of creating a unique space of early learning and exploration of Indian art music is something that deeply connected with me. 

Backed by 25+ years of experience being a music student, vocalist and artist, I felt fortunate to find my calling here in India, in the area of entrepreneurship, where I am now able to build something meaningful for our community and give my strengths a direction. I along with my co-founder Dr. Karthik Ramachandra, have established ShrotaHouse, dedicated to Indian classical music and children.

2.  What lessons have you learned from your entrepreneurial journey that you wish you knew when you started?

I am fortunate to have been inducted into the startup community early on in my entrepreneurial journey - I learnt a lot about potential startup challenges beforehand, through stories of some amazing founders. However, every company and founder faces their own unique challenges when they establish and grow - so has been the case with us. Personally, I am also rediscovering in me resilience and strength that perhaps was dormant earlier. Lessons add to experiences and I feel empowered to be able to share the same, with our growing team now.

3.Can you tell us about a particularly memorable performance or project that had a significant impact on you?

So many to share. However here are a couple of them:

-I run a program called Madhu's Swar Sketches, which has actually opened me up to the potential that preschool children possess, to learn Indian art music. Many adults owing to work pressure or life circumstances underestimate this potential. On one occasion, a child insisted on attending a music session in spite of having fever unable to get up from bed - such can be their dedication!

-We published internationally, a simple activity book for children (ended up being loved by adults as much). It has surprisingly opened up many toddlers to the world of Indian classical musical instruments like never before. We have toured the city of Bengaluru with it. We are now at our 20th pitstop, continuing to engage with numerous children and with each musical experience we witness a clear spurt of interest in this subject not only in children but also in musicians!

4.  What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while growing your startups, and how did you overcome them?

With a volatile job landscape today, building a dedicated team is a challenge for most startups and it has been a roller coaster ride for us too. We are fortunate and proud to have worked with some of the best talents thus far. We owe it to our impact driven approach and culture. We are set to innovate further and build the best teams moving forward as well.

5.  What are your long-term goals for ShrotaHouse, both in terms of business growth and impact on the music community?

ShrotaHouse has been established with a clear vision to propel lasting love for Indian art music amongst young learners, by being a uniquely creative platform for children and musicians alike. We aim to be the world's best early learning ecosystem for Indian classical music.

6.How do you manage to stay connected to your musical roots while leading a growing startup?

This is something I am so fortunate to experience. With every project or personal interaction being relevant to the Gen-Next, while keeping up to the standards of Indian art music is as challenging as it is satisfying. For example, I share my motivation for Riyaaz as a journey, with my children too. I stay true to myself and the Raag Sangeet I practice with great gratitude, without compromising on the cultural value systems I stand for.

7. What role do you think digital platforms play in preserving and promoting traditional arts like Indian classical music?

Indian art music has thrived through centuries owing to earnest contributions of generations of practitioners and experts. Today sophisticated platforms are being developed for music discovery, content streaming or even music generation. Digital platforms indeed play a big role, in promoting Indian art music or in general any art.  We try to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies, but face the brunt of problems such as sensory over-stimulation, misinformation, and a consumeristic mindset. 

All of these trigger an urgency to try and "preserve" Indian classical music. However, I believe it is most important to "appreciate and listen" to Indian classical music a) for how it has evolved over the years to b) for what it is today, in terms of its rich content and its holistic positive impact on our being. We may be fed many ephemeral social media trends, however it is good to use the power of digital platforms to propagate Indian classical music as well as expert ideas around the subject.

8. How do you envision the future of music education in India, and what role do you see ShrotaHouse playing in that future?

I believe that the next best thing to happen, is for Indian classical music to become a core part of early learning systems in India. We at ShrotaHouse, are playing our part in this. Through our current projects, we have already started to infuse a positive change in the way Indian classical music learning is talked about or approached at the first place. We aim to become the best growth space for the gen-next Indian art music explorers and lovers through our continued efforts. 

Bio:

Madhumita Bhaskar is a dynamic and multi-talented artist who transitioned from a successful career as a senior software professional to an inspiring entrepreneur. As a Hindustani classical music student, singer, and composer, she has been a dedicated disciple of Prof. Milind Malshe of Mumbai, an exponent of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana of Hindustani khayal music. With over two decades of musical training, she has imbibed the core elements of Jaipur Gayaki in her singing. As a child artist, she lent her voice to the popular children’s audio book series Karadi Tales and the Hindi film Jajantaram Mamantaram released in 2003. Madhumita’s diverse creative background extends beyond music. She is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, an active painter, and a poet with an extensive collection of works. Her YouTube channel, msilentmusic, showcases her musical experiments and creative endeavors. 

As a founder and CEO of ShrotaHouse, Madhumita is affiliated with NSRCEL ,Indian Institute of Management Bangalore where her startup was selected among the top 50 ideas across India in 2021. Her entrepreneurial excellence has also earned her a spot among the top 3 women entrepreneur winners in The GAIN Accelerator and a finalist position at Elevate Startup Karnataka 2023. She has been accepted into the Microsoft for Startups and TechnoServe India accelerator programs, further solidifying her innovative approach to early music education.

Interviewed & Edited by- Arunangshu Chatterjee