Jim Ankan Deka | Music, Photography and More

I opted for Tata Sky, the famous DTH service provider in India, when I got my first LED LG TV in 2010. Initially, there were only SD channels, and in 2010, when Star India for the first time launched HD channels with 7.1 Dolby Surround sound in India, nothing stopped me from opting those as well. Although the prices for HD channels and overall pricing of SD channels were bit more than other DTH service providers, and channels stop working (no signal) on a rainy day, I was still more than happy to watch all the flicks on Start World, Zee Cafe and English movie channels. For 5 years, Tata Sky walked fine with me in this DTH journey until I relocated to a different place when the company said TA TA (bye bye) to me. I was in Bangalore till 2015 and shifted to the North East keeping my base in Guwahati. Although the company is providing connections in Guwahati, somehow they managed to keep me out of the customer's league. On March 15, 2016 at 10:36 AM I called the Tata Sky Customer...

An article on Jim Ankan Deka published on Sadin, an Assamese weekly from Guwahati, on February 5, 2016.

Published in The Assam Tribune on January 21, 2016 " Jim Ankan Deka is an Assamese musician, documentary filmmaker, photographer and director of a Bengaluru-based music institute and production house. He has won multiple awards for his music. " When I was young, my parents introduced me to Borgeet and the Khol. As time passed, I picked up other instruments, including the guitar, piano, tabla, etc. I was so inclined towards music that I was sure of becoming a musician once I grew up. But taking birth in India, where people respect art, but seldom encourage children to focus on anything but studies, it was not easy to convince my family that there can be a career in music, too. After completing my studies (simultaneously learning music), I headed towards Bengaluru in 2006, where I took up different jobs to survive. Well, I was not happy in the corporate world. I was looking for various options in music at the same time. There weren't many though. After six months o...

Anuron - Queen Hazarika, Rupam Bhuyan, Jim Ankan Deka Anuron - a music video from the ChaiTunes series is the fifth Assamese music video by Jim Ankan Deka. Singers from Assam Queen Hazarika and Rupam Bhuyan have rendered their voices for the song. The post production on the song in underway. Produced by Eastern Fare Music Foundation and powered by Music Malt, Bangalore, the song is recorded at Eastern Fare Studios in Bangalore, Zero DB Studio, Guwahati, and mixed and mastered at Eastern Fare Studios, Umium. The video is shot amidst the greens of North-East India. Director of Photography is Avataran famed Tarunabh Dutta and Screenplay and Story by Debjani Hazarika. Camera and videography are handled by Navanit Nilavh and Parth Deuri. Video editing is done at TD Studio, Guwahati and Eastern Fare Studios, Guwahati. The video features Sangeeta Pachani, winner of miss congeniality 'Sananda Tilottama 2008'. Anuron - Jim Ankan Deka Feat. Rupam Bhuyan, Queen Hazarika Listen ...

It took me almost four years to come out of my mundane, humdrum existence and start my five months journey in the North-east of India on June 12, 2015. I always believed in a quote by English writer and philosopher Gilbert K. Chesterton - "The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see." After visiting many places as a tourist, I wanted to see the world through a traveller's eyes. Yes, today I travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape me. My journey began in Meghalaya, a state in the North eastern region of India. Living Root Bridges in Mawlynnong, Asia's cleanest village (photo: Jim Ankan Deka) Khasi Heritage Village in Mawphlang (photo: Jim Ankan Deka) The Sacred Forest in Mawphlang (photo: Jim Ankan Deka) View of  the city of Shillong from the Shillong Peak (photo: Jim Ankan Deka | camera: Samsung Galaxy S4) A view from the Nongsder village (photo: Jim Ankan Deka | camera: Samsung Galaxy S4) Morning view in...

(An article by Jadeed Hussain published on Eclectic Northeast magazine on June 1, 2015) Musician Jim Ankan Deka's love for the music of his native land has prompted him to take Assamese music to the global stage Jim had moved to Bangalore from Guwahati to do his Masters in Psychology. After completing his studies, made his foray into the corporate world, but after a series of job changes, he realized that music was his only true calling. He joined a music school and slowly offers started to trickle from the film and television industry of Karnataka. He started off with a Kannada TV series in 2007 where he arranged the music for four songs. He admits that the language barrier was very much there but working with a director who was free to take inputs from him helped him deliver his best. He also teamed up with Carnatic classical musician and playback singer Suchethan Rangaswamy to form a band called 'Veenar'; they released their first song in Kannada called Eesha Ni...

Aakaxok Subo Khojo - Jim Ankan Deka feat. Antara Nandy ChaiTunes , the music series powered by Music Malt, released the second Assamese music video ' Aakaxok Subo Khojo ' (আকাশক চুব খোজো) featuring Jim Ankan Deka and 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2009' finalist 16 yr old Antara Nandy. The song was recorded in Eastern Fare Studio and Madcat Studios in Bangalore under the guidance of Kannada music producer Anil CJ. The video is directed by Parmita Borah and was shot at Innerspace Studios, Bangalore. The lyrics of the song is penned by Assamese journalist Raj Dweep. Produced by Eastern Fare Music Foundation, the video was released on June 5, 2015. Antara Nandy and Jim Ankan Deka (a shot from Aakaxok Subo Khojo) | photo: Nishal Lama

Courtesy: Raul de la Nuez Recently, in one of the Bihu functions (April, 2015), one of the leading female singers of Assam was not allowed to sing for not wearing Chador Mekhela by the committee members. (Chador-mekhela is the traditional Assamese dress worn by women.) What I feel personally in that case, even the male singers, including Papon, Zubben, should be asked to wear Dhoti-Kurta or ban them too. Why this unfairly prejudiced view? And all the committee members also should be wearing Dhoti-Kurta or Chador-Mekhela all the time. Do they? Embarrassing moment for Assam and Assamese culture. This is not culture, This is not Bihu. I understand that cloths are integral part of any culture; but cloths alone can't defy culture. If one has to follow one of the cultural aspects with full devotion, he has to follow everything with complete honesty and sincerity. That means, if one has to wear mekhela-chador to defy bihu, she can't actually use keyboard, guitar or drums in bih...

Xaare Aasu is An Assamese music video featuring singer Queen Hazarika and composer Jim Ankan Deka. It is the first of ChaiTunes series of music videos. Powered by Music Malt, a Bangalore based music house, the song is based on poems by Assamese writer duo Prof. Bhabananda Deka and Nalini Prava Deka. The video is directed by Parmita Borah and produced by Eastern Fare Foundation, Bangalore. Read more at ReviewNE and Merinews . | Watch the video Here . | Download Xaare Aasu Here News Clippings Eastern Chronicle, May 12, 2015 .

Few days back I posted Mahesh Murthy's take on anti #net neutrality and Airtel's 'Airtel Zero' plan . After a huge outcry (over 800,000 emails to the Government) and Flipkart's final decision of backing out of Airtel Zero, Bharti Airtel's CEO Gopal Vittal wrote to customers on April 19, 2015, explaining why they love net neutrality and why Airtel Zero is benign and just some "technology platform". Below is the email. Dear Customer Over the last few days you may have seen a lot of conversation on our toll free platform Airtel Zero. It has been painted as a move that violates net neutrality and we have been very concerned at the incorrect information that has been carried by some quarters in the media as well as in social media. I wanted to take this opportunity to clear the air and reiterate that we are completely committed to net neutrality. Let me clarify. Our vision is to have every Indian on the internet. There are millions of Indians wh...

Niyoror Xur (নিয়ৰৰ সুৰ) - is Jim Ankan Deka's fourth Assamese music video. Sung by Mayukh Hazarika, the song is based on poems by Assamese writer duo Late Bhabananda Deka and Late Nalini Prava Deka and edited by Ankur Deka. The video is directed by Parmita Borah. The song will be released online in June, 2015. Presented by ChaiTunes, the song is produced by Eastern Fare Music Foundation, Bangalore and powered by Music Malt, a music house based in Bangalore.

Some of you may remember the huge hype around VAS (Value Added Services) startups in India less than a decade years ago - remember SMSing to get your horoscope for the day, or a cricket score update? The story was all about how they'd create great content for distribution on the telcos' networks and how we'd see new giant companies being formed. Fast forward to today - the telcos' user base is ten times larger - but do you see any of those VAS companiess around? They're all virtually dead - and the telcos killed them. And they did so with a simple weapon - they charged a toll tax of 80% or more on all revenues generated by the VAS startups on their networks. VAS companies are long gone - the telcos killed and ate the golden geese, and golden eggs are now hard to come by. But rather than learn from this debacle - they're out there to find and kill the next golden egg. And that's you, dear Indian internet entrepreneur. You're going to be the next ...

Xaare Aasu - Jim Ankan Deka ft. Queen Hazarika Xaare Aasu (সাৰে আ্ছো) - is Jim Ankan Deka's third Assamese music video. The song features Assamese singer Queen Hazarika. The video is directed by Parmita Borah. The song will be released online in May, 2015. The song is produced by Eastern Fare Music Foundation , Bangalore. The lyrics of the single is penned together by writer Bhabananda Deka, poet Nalini Prava Deka and Jim. Xaare Aasu is powered by Music Malt and presented by Chai Tunes . Jim Ankan Deka and Queen Hazarika

Jim Ankan Deka and Rittique Phukan at BFlat, Bangalore (Nov, 2014) In over a decade of experience in music instruction, often have I come across people with diverse outlooks towards music - for most, music is a form of entertainment, for some it is an art to be passionately pursued and mastered, for some it is ‘dope’ and for some its nirvana. What strikes me odd is that a very small percentage of music enthusiasts try to explore the concept “MUSIC” in itself. What is music, why does it exist, how did it evolve and what good does it do us anyway? Well to begin with the history of music dates back to times beyond the days of yore, right from the inception of civilization. Music, or rhythmic sound, stood at the cradle of all religions. The rhythmic articulation of time by means of an instrument conflating with melody can be considered as Music. Listening to music is a psychosomatic (A descriptive term for the relationship between the mind and body) experience that, apart from crea...

Voodoo Child live at The Warehouse, Bangalore I have been a part of the Guwahati based band Voodoo Child since December, 2005. I left the band in September 2006 as I had to leave the city for good. I rejoined the band in May, 2014 after a long break of 8 years. Although initially I used to play the keyboard with the band, after rejoining I have taken up the role of the lead guitarist. Below are few of my moments with Voodoo Child at a pub (club) in Bangalore called The Warehouse. It was a special event on the occasion of Valentine's Day held on Saturday, February 14, 2015. Photos by Deepak Vijaykumar. Jim Ankan Deka with Voodoo Child drummer Vicky Mahanta  Jim Ankan Deka at The Warehouse, Bangalore Jim Ankan Deka at The Warehouse, Bangalore Jim Ankan Deka at The Warehouse, Bangalore Jim Ankan Deka at The Warehouse, Bangalore (courtesy: The Warehouse) Jim Ankan Deka with Suchin Ravi (left) of Voodoo Child at The Warehouse, Bangalore Some of the guests at ...

Some time back I wrote about my rendezvous with Meru, Taxi For Sure and other Taxicab services in Bangalore . I almost lost hope. But then, after two incidents, I regained my trust in Bangalore taxicabs, although believing in the honesty and reliability of a taxicab service in Bangalore is somewhat chucklesome. Ola Cabs I went to a late night party at a friend's place which was almost close to 25 kms from my place. And by the time we finished few bottles of 'happy water', it was almost 1 AM. And to catch an auto was out of question as I had to walk through the lonely roads for 15 mins before I could reach the main road. I am somewhat afraid of darkness. So, my friend asked me to call Ola Cabs. I first denied and tried calling Taxi For Sure giving into my regular habit. As usual, they 'didn't have a taxi for sure.' Hence I had to call Ola after browsing through the net for their number. It took just couple of seconds before a very professiona...