A musical love story

KOCHI: They have the ability to captivate listeners with their flawless music leaving them wanting for more. Dr Vikash Arora aka Vicky and his wife Zonia Arora, a management consultant, say it is music that brought them together and music will stay with them forever.It all began almost nine years ago when they both met at a friend’s house. Vicky, who is from Bihar, was doing MBBS in Kerala and Zonia was doing BBA at that time. On the first meeting itself they both shared their fondness for music. And within a couple of months they started seeing each other and writing songs. Now music is a family affair for the duo who comprise the Adharva band, currently playing at the Bubble Cafe at the Taj Gateway Hotel, Marine Drive.“We believe in our brand of music which is a mix of Indian classical and western contemporary music,” says Vicky, who is a vocalist and guitarist. He also plays the keys. Zonia is a trained Carnatic singer. “Like our music we are of mixed parentage - Vicky’s mom is British and father, a Punjabi. I’m half  Malayali. Vicky has a western background and I’m  basically a Carnatic singer, though I sing all genres of music,” says Zonia.When they started their musical journey, they say it was more of hard rock. “But we have mellowed down over the years,” she says.What makes the duo different from the rest is that they write and compose their own songs and perform live. They do perform other hit English covers as well. “But we love to perform our own music and we do have a wide collection of original instrumental pieces that are typically lounge,” says Zonia. They also do a lot of improvisation and mixing. “It is not something pre-planned. “Sometimes I play the keyboard and she will sing,” says Vicky. That seems to the beauty of their performance. For they love what they do and the applause is a bonus. Music for the duo is a pure passion. Zonia and Vicky have no reservations about any particular genre of music. Be it western rock, jazz, country, reggae, hip hop and alternative music, they do justice to them all. And their philosophy seems to be, as Zonia puts it: “Anything that sounds like music and is good to the ears is good enough to perform.”  It was four and a half years ago that they got married. Apart from music there are many things that bind them together. “We are both huge pet lovers. Our best friends are our pets,” says Zonia who has rescued many strays cats and dogs which have become a part of their lives. “Every household should adopt a stray, you’ll surely find true love and an everlasting friend in them,” she says.Zonia also loves painting. After quitting her job as a management consultant she is now devoting her time to her passions -  painting and singing. “My days are packed. I have Vicky to take care of and our pets. Currently he is preparing for his PG. So our performances in the evenings are a stress buster for him,” says Zonia. Vicky is a voracious reader. He is currently working as a consultant physician at an ashram in Mavelikkara and Zonia accompanies him and gives him a hand. “Earlier, we used to spend a lot of time with the inmates there and it was a great experience. Now since he is busy with his exams we have moved to a new house in Kaloor. But we do visit the ashram once a week.” The duo do not like to stick to one place. They have lived in Chennai and Bihar earlier and have performed in The Taj Green Cove, Kovalam, Taj Fisherman’s Cove, Chennai, The Leela Kempinski, Kovalam, and many more.“We are coming to the Taj in Kochi for the second time. In 2005 we  had performed here,” says Vicky. But they feel their music got better appreciation in Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram. “We feel the people’s sense of music here is restrictive. They still love old songs like the Summer of ‘69 and Hotel California. They are not receptive to new songs. But things are slowly catching up and they have started enjoying our music,” says Vicky.Once Vicky gets PG admission, the duo might relocate from Kochi. “We never know where he will get admission. No matter where it is I will be there with him. We want to be together always,” says Zonia as Vicky nods in the affirmative. Vicky and Zonia can be contacted at [email protected].