Okay, so last weekend—October 19th—I ended up at this thing called Let There Be Guitar in Bengaluru, and I’m still buzzing about it. It was at Fandom at Gilly’s Redefined, this cool spot that was just packed with people who live for music. The whole day was basically a giant hug for anyone who’s ever pretended a broom was a guitar, you know? I couldn’t believe how much talent they squeezed onto that stage.First off, Baiju Dharmajan. Oh man, where do I start? If you haven’t heard of him, he’s this guitar god—used to play with Motherjane, and now he’s rocking it with his own crew, the Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate. Watching him was like… I don’t know, like he was painting with sound. He mixes these soulful Carnatic melodies with heavy rock, and it’s so good it almost hurts. I was just standing there, totally lost in it, thinking, “This guy’s hands are magic.” He’s got this big, warm energy too—like he’s inviting you into his world.Then there’s Suraz Sun. He’s this 23-year-old from Nagaland, and I’m telling you, he’s the real deal. He rolled up with his band Paperweight to open the show, and I was hooked right away. He’s got this rough-around-the-edges blues thing going, but it’s so fresh, like he’s figuring it out as he goes. He’s got this EP, Echoes of Quarantine, and after seeing him, I’m dying to hear it. The coolest part? He jumped in for a jam with Baiju later, and it was like watching two buddies messing around in a garage—except they’re insanely good. I couldn’t stop grinning.But wait, it wasn’t just them! Varun Venkit from Swarathma showed up with his gang, and they had this bouncy, happy vibe that made me want to dance right there. Then Girish ‘Rasta’ Pradhan from Girish and The Chronicles came out swinging with some hardcore rock—my ears were ringing, and I loved it. And oh, Aarabhy Surendran—this kid’s so young, but he played like he’s been at it for decades. I kept nudging the person next to me like, “Are you seeing this?!”The whole thing felt like a big family reunion for music nerds, thanks to Dreamcatchers Events and Gilly’s Redefined. They made it so easy to just soak it all in—tickets were, what, ₹499? I’d have paid double for that lineup. By the end, when Baiju and Suraz were riffing together under the lights, I was sweaty, hoarse from cheering, and so happy I didn’t know what to do with myself. It’s one of those days that sticks with you—like, I’m already counting down to the next one. You’ve got to come with me if they do it again, okay? I’m not taking no for an answer!
