Inside the beats of Mithun Chakra's rhythmic life

Seventeen years before sharing a stage with Rock legend Ayub Bachchu himself, Mithun Chakra's musical journey began in the womb of his mother, Kalyani Ghosh, a renowned folk singer, who recorded a song with Ayub Bachchu back in 1986. 

Born into a musical family, Mithun started slapping on the tabla at just two and a half years old, naturally embracing a life where music wasn't just a passion, but an intrinsic part of his existence.

You may know Mithun as the very exuberantly dressed percussionist from Coke Studio Bangla (CSB), but there's more to his musical journey than meets the eye.  

"I started banging every surface as a kid. Every kid does that, and I was no different, but at a certain point I found that the earth, galaxy and universe are all in sync, just like percussion," Mithun said.

Many years later, he has heard many praises and earned accolades for his masterful playing, yet does not consider himself as a master of the instrument. 

"I'm just trying to play," he says. "The first thing about music is rhythm, that comes from the drum. It feels as though drums talk to me."

"Coke Studio Bangla is just a project that came up in 2021. But before that, I had started playing with LRB at 17.  Ayub Bachchu picked me up in 2005 when I was doing my A Levels," he added.

In 2006, he went off to London to study law, having already played with LRB for a year and a half. However instead of studying law, Mithun veered towards percussion and drums. There, he got in touch with great musicians. 

He practised with the Royal School of Orchestra, he played with Shafqat Amanat Ali and also in Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho district, one of the world's most popular jazz clubs. 

"Had I gone through with the law, I'd be a barrister today. Instead, I needed to do something out of passion. In 2011, I returned to Bangladesh for good and continued as a drummer," Mithun added. 

Once back, he began playing with LRB again, going on to play with Miles, Souls, Ark, Renaissance, Bappa Majumder, Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, Fuad Almuqtadir, Habib Wahid and many other significant figures in the industry. All this collective experience maxed out when, in 2014, Mithun got to play with Allahrakka (AR) Rahman. 

"That was when the whole nation came to know about me. I am eternally grateful for the fact that only one local musician was picked by AR Rahman to play in the opening ceremony of the 2014 World T20 right here in Bangladesh," he said excitedly.

All the great musicians he mentioned essentially prepped him to the point that allowed him to play with the legendary AR Rahman. 

"This experience opened me up to the world stage; my worldview changed forever, but I was yet to get my own big break," he said. "I had to find my own identity, which was to come a lot later down the line."

For the show, Rahman's team was in need of a percussionist urgently. Crediting his Guru Anandan Sivamani for being able to play with Rahman, he said, "he's one of the best percussionists in the world and hands down the best in India.  I've been following Sivamani since I was 12 years old."

Initially, Mithun was to perform in the 2014 World T20 opening with Kumar Bishwajit, that is where he met Sivamani – connecting instantly during a soundcheck. 

The next day, Sivamani reached out, inquiring if Mithun knew any musicians. Mithun mentioned his proficiency in percussion when asked about his musical expertise. Intrigued, Sivamani specifically requested him to bring his tabla to the field.

Mithun went over and Sivamani introduced him to Rahman, saying, "I met this little kid here and I want to try him on one of your songs." Rahman agreed, but only for a couple songs, one of them being 'Radha Kaise Na Jale' from the Aamir Khan starrer 'Lagaan'. 

"I played to the song. Amazed, Rahman said I could play for his whole set. I played an entire set with AR Rahman! This boosted my confidence all the way up to the sky," Mithun said, with his eyes doing the talking for him.

Fast forward a few years, CSB happened.

How has his Coke Studio Bangla journey been so far?

"Starting from 2011 to 2021, all that I learned in terms of music, I poured it all on Coke Studio. I crafted and arranged the rhythm for every song as if it were my own child," he said.

Mithun plays the drums to pray, not entertain. He tried jazz, folk, salsa, progressive, funk, Latin, oriental music and what not in CSB, to celebrate music from all over the world. 

"Every song has its own pulse. Among the many genres you hear in CSB, I only tried to enhance every genre. In 'Nodir Kul Nai' I had to experiment with literal water as part of the percussion. In 'Murir Tin' I played with a tin can. I had to experiment a lot!" he said.