IAS officer to classical Vocalist: How Kashish Mittal's rendition of a Nusrat Fateh Ali ghazal made him an internet sensation

Indian Express

a day ago

It was during a casual evening with friends hosting playback singer Jaspinder Narula that former IAS officer-turned-classical singer Kashish Mitttal surprised those present with a heartfelt rendition of Unke andaz-e-karam, unpe wo aana dil ka (Her sacred manner, my falling in love with her) – an '90s ghazal by Pakistani music icon Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Filmed casually, with no microphones, no edits, no studio orchestration, and sung along the drone of a taanpura through a phone app, the now-famous Instagram reel started as a spontaneous and casual upload by Mittal. It managed to get over six lakh views in less than a month's time and was shared widely. 'If you have been pursuing an art form for so many years and it gets appreciated and loved by so many people, it's an amazing feeling. I actually got very overwhelmed with the response. I didn't expect it would be loved so much,' says 36-year-old Mittal in a phone conversation from his home in Mohali.
A post shared by Kashish Mittal (@kashishmittal)
A few hours after he uploaded, the clarity of his voice, with expression in place, the composition in Jaunpuri — the grand late morning raga — travelled the subcontinent, floating above the continued political tensions and cracks in geopolitics. Mittal stumbled upon the famed ghazal just about a year ago online and it stayed in memory. 'I have always been advised by my guru to listen to musicians across gharanas and genres, as that allows one to expand your horizon,' says Mittal, who has trained under the aegis of Agra gharana — one of the oldest gharanas known for blending khayal and dhrupad styles.
For Mittal, imbibing Wo bhi apne na huye, dil bhi gaya haatho se/ Aise aane se toh behtar tha na aana dil ka (Neither did they become mine, Nor did my heart remain my own/ Instead of coming like this, It was better if you had not come at all) from the famed piece of poetry was a result of that tutelage.
These lines that captured social media in Mittal's voice belong to a ghazal penned by Islamic scholar Peer Naseeruddin Shah Naseer from Pakistan and originally recorded by Khan in 1991 under Oriental Star Agencies, a British record label, that was based in Balsall Heath, Birmingham.
With an IPS officer father and a homemaker mother — both with an inclination towards Hindustani classical music — Mittal grew up in Mohali on a steady diet of music of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi tapes, among others. Since his parents couldn't learn music, they made sure that both their sons did. After learning initially from Harvinder Singh, a Chandigarh-based music professor and making his debut at the prestigious Harivallabh Music Festival at 11, Singh took Mittal to his guru Pandit Yashpaul, a well-known practitioner and teacher from Agra gharana, who composed many bandishes under the pen name 'Sagun Piya'. 'Unlike Professor Harvinder, he (Pt Yashpaul) was very strict and commanded discipline. With him started the journey of what rigorous taleem means,' says Mittal, who kept learning in Chandigarh while excelling in regular academics, including the competitive exams that followed.
But music stayed and Mittal was not a typical reluctant teenager being dragged into the complex world of ragas and rigorous riyaaz. 'When I was about eight, it was an exploratory feeling. What is this about? Music was like any other hobby, like basketball and cricket. It is only after I spent a couple of years that I began to feel that this was something deeper; that there is a tradition which is associated with this. I began to enjoy the process of learning. I do feel that music helped with my academic journey,' says Mittal.
But the moment music became high stakes, his academic journey, with competitive exams in place, too, acquired the same exactitude. With an All India Rank of 4, he joined IIT Delhi, which is where Mittal encountered two things: a culturally charged atmosphere where everyone wanted to excel, and his professor, Dr Kiran Seth, who was also heading SPICMACAY. Seth asked him to volunteer so that he would get to meet many classical artistes and work towards organising their concerts.
'These were very fulfilling four years. IIT came with the atmosphere and idea of chasing excellence and success was going to follow. While at SPIC MACAY, I got to accompany some of the musical legends on the tanpura on stage and that was an unparalleled experience,' says Mittal, who continued his training and appeared for UPSC examination after his graduation and cleared it in his first attempt in 2010. His first posting was as the SDM and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh.
Amid drafting policy briefs, Mittal found the opportunity to perform at a few festivals, including Tansen Mahotsav, Jashn-e-Rekhta and Harivallabh Festival, among others. While being posted at NITI Aayog in Delhi, Mittal also became an A-Grade artiste for All India Radio on Sansad Marg, which was opposite the NITI Aayog building. He was also empanelled in ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), which allowed him to travel abroad for concerts. This is when he began thinking of engage in music full-time. 'Pursuing music deeply was always at the back of my mind. Nine years into the service and I decided to make the transition. I always thought that it was a great privilege and responsibility to be able to learn and carry forward the tradition. All of it required time. Finally, I decided to do it,' says Mittal, who didn't want to be bound by time or a distant posting.
For someone who had the dream that India dreams, was it hard to let go of it? Mittal says that his parents asked him to think through the decision, but remained supportive, asking him to choose his happiness; his peers were startled, wondering how and why the Services were not enough to be a lifelong mooring. Mittal wanted to anchor himself in something deeper. 'Sometimes I was just performing a set of ragas. I wanted to immerse myself, give it more time and explore the ragas more deeply – unique entities in themselves,' says Mittal, who is also the co-founder of Disha, a Bengaluru-based AI start-up that creates personalised study plans and UPSC strategy and roadmap for civil services aspirants.
For Mittal, the fear of leaving stability behind has waned. There wasn't too much to begin with. For now, he is steady about chasing the slow unfolding of ragas and riyaaz.