How do you know when music is your calling? When your heart and mind sing the same tune that your conscious is adamant on hearing out. For Chinmaya Samal, the call came bright and early. This is why now, the 27-year-old has dedicated himself to ensuring that people at least have a shot at heeding to their calling.
Officially, in September 2020 was when this youngster who hails from Rourkela started Chinu N Strings. "My friends used to call me Chinu and why strings, that's pretty obvious," says Chinmaya who is a guitarist. What he does is pretty simple, he takes basic guitar classes sans boundaries. His students are of varying age groups and are from various countries including the US and Canada. "The target is that you have your office hours, which drain you empty, and you are tired. Why not come back to yourself with music," he says. What he has done in the past few days is really tightened his processes. If you are a student of his you would know that his classes are supported with detailed PDF documents with an overview of the lesson, the lessons are recorded and shared if need be and if you have a doubt, just ping him on WhatsApp. He actually records a video of him answering your doubt so that there is no scope for the question to linger. Now all of this might not be unique, but the passion the musician infuses every class with and the experience he puts into play is what sets everything apart.
"What I also try to do is motivate people, as most of my students are in college I try to talk to them about time management, the importance of maintaining a LinkedIn profile and how to be an effective entrepreneur," informs the youngster. And whatever he speaks comes from experience as he has an MBA from NIT Rourkela, has been a part of a corporate set-up as he was Senior Business Development Associate for Vista Rooms in Mumbai and along with being an entrepreneur he took to music when he was in class IX, given his body of experience, surely he knows more than a thing or two about what he advises.
For a moment, Chinmaya takes us back to his good ol' school days, when one senior of his taught him guitar while another told him all that he needed to know about music. In 2011, he even formed a band called Live Root and bagged radio gigs, certainly a matter of pride for him to this day. The band played on for over seven years and the members still have fond memories with regards to it. "It was during this ongoing pandemic that I realised I need to get back to music full-time. That's why I left my job in Mumbai and came back to my hometown. Now I am working on an album of my own along with teaching students from all over the world," says the musician.
The fact of the matter is, Chinmaya has been teaching informally for a long time now, first, it was to generate pocket money and now it is to fuel the musical dream of others.
For more on him check out instagram.com/chinu_n_strings
