Growing
up, Buland
Shukla dreamt of a career that would combine all his interests in life. As a
person who is naturally impulsive in pursuing his passions, it was never about
whether it would eventually get him somewhere or earn him a fortune. It was
about living the ‘one life’, learning what he wanted to, with
all his heart and appreciating the fact that humans are fortunate beings to
be able to chase their passions.
“I
wouldn’t think of whether it would be worth spending so much time and energy
learning them or whether I would be able to make money of it. I was a firm
believer in the fact that there’s only one life and I would like to learn
everything that interests me and not be stuck with the institutional tunnel
vision with regards to education.”
The
love and passion that fuels this eternally hat-clad impressive gent is evident once you step
into ‘Audiophile Goa’, an analogue audio store in Panjim’s Fontainhas. Shukla has not
just created a brick and mortar space with vinyls for sale; he has managed to
get a following of music lovers with a keen ear for good old analogue sound to
regularly visit his store just to listen to some great records.
When
you ask him where this love for such a niche comes from, one cannot miss the
tinge of excitement in Shukla’s eyes. “I still remember the day I saw my first vinyl
record. It was one of those river side Sunday Markets selling curios and
rarities. I bought them immediately, not even knowing what they were, just that
it had something to do with listening to music. I came back home, fired up the
dial-up internet and searched for large black discs to play music. The whole
world of analogue music opened up. I was shocked that the piece of
plastic I was holding, actually has music in those spiralling lines scratched
on the surface. I never came across a player though. So I cleaned them up and
it went right into my bookshelf. It would almost be a decade before I would
bring them out.”
Brought
them out, he did! After graduating in Architecture from CEPT, Ahmedabad, Shukla specialised
in Architectural Acoustics and started consulting on how to fashion sound
within a space through architectural means. He also focussed on restorations
and reviving old but time-tested practices like making shell lime plaster and
working with Kaavi Art while keeping alive his childhood interest in carpentry.
All these skills were to combine years later to create every element of sound and
design at Audiophile Goa.
Shukla
was deep into music by this time, had picked up playing the guitar and was
mesmerised by a style known as Gypsy Jazz, the music of the Sinti Gypsies from
Europe. This would eventually lead to ‘The Banjara Quartet’, a Gypsy
Jazz outfit comprising Shukla, Goa’s favourite Colin D’Cruz and other
musicians from various parts of the world, bringing in their range of
influences to give a unique flavour to l’esprit manouche.
For a
musician doubling up as an Acoustical Consultant, the quality of sound
was critical. He experienced a lot of audio shows and great music equipment and
sound systems. In one of these shows, Shukla came across vinyl, met people with an interest
in the format and realised it wouldn’t be long before the world wakes up to
this pure version of sound.
“It was a
surreal moment when I heard my very first vinyl record. For the
first time I felt an emotional connect to the music I was listening. That
sparked something in me. I realised that all the fancy systems of the world
that I had heard, were all farce. This is as close to real music as one can
get. Soon after that experience, I started planning on bringing vinyl and
analogue audio to the people. People needed to hear what I heard. After a year
of planning, in early 2018, ‘Audiophile Goa’ was born. A space with everything
to do with analogue audio. There is a listening space as well where people can
just come and listen to music on vinyl.”
Shukla
didn’t stop at getting the store up and running. He went ahead
and designed his own high fidelity audio equipment too.
For a
man who refuses to unwind on a plateau for too long, Shukla’s next climb wasn’t
far away. He wanted
to spread awareness about vinyl, something he refers to as ‘the beautiful
format’. He started thinking of ways to make this experience approachable. A
trip to Tokyo, Japan and getting to experience music in the city’s numerous
Vinyl Bars got his mind working. In his head, Goa deserved one of these!
“I
decided I would open up a Vinyl Bar here in Goa; it would be the country’s first. I or my
investor had no idea about the market response or business plan, we just us
knew that this would be a unique and exciting thing to do. This is what led to ‘For The
Record – Vinyl Bar’.”
A
quaint, romantic, charming, warm, old-world bar with just the right vibe would
possibly define this latest hotspot in Panjim. The vacuum tube sound system
Shukla had designed and built sits inside the bar and people can experience
pure analogue music on vinyl records while sipping on some delectable Feni
Cocktails.
Music
is exclusively played on vinyl records and that is a very strong focus to the
concept of this bar. focusing primarily on excellent Feni cocktails and
other good quality Indian liquor brands.
Shukla
knows he’s got a winning formula going with ‘Audiophile Goa’ and ‘For The
Record – the Vinyl Bar’, one next to the other. Come for the music, stay back
for the drink and a great time.
