Home is where heart is!
A global rock star, Clince Varghese, after 24 years still has his heart set on the far stretched, uninterrupted green farms, narrow meandering kaccha roads, virgin beaches and strong mesmerizing odor of freshly dried fish... his own Vasai gaon! Born in Kerala and brought up in Vasai, Clince now boasts of his band ‘Whats in the name’ that has grabbed audience from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, not only that, but also from Maldives, Karachi, Nepal.
Vasai draws its history back to 15th century when the Portuguese established themselves on the 7 islands of Mumbai. 500 years down the line, Vasai still bears its unique Portuguese attributes. Carrying a similar spirit of its parent colony of Goa, It has small colourful houses surrounded by large wadis. The wadis that stretch for miles with vegetable farms, fruit orchards and rice fields. At core places the vibrant colours of houses intermingled with lush greenery create a flamboyant streetscape. With the road side market and staggered houses, the street is converted into a ‘fantasyland’. One can easily spot the unusual blonde hair, occasional blue and green eyes and eye-catching fair skin adding to the splendour of this distant community.
Music comes to him from the laps of nature. Located in the outskirts, he describes Vasai gaon as ‘Mumbai and not so Mumbai.’ Clince completed his graduation and post-graduation in arts from St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai. “From Vasai to Churchgate is a whole new world. Vasai, where there is a fort that tells you stories of the past and relates you to the present; where the ghats wind up and down the hill in the rhythm of nature, where the sea becomes an inseparable part of you and where one need not ‘seek’ solitude… that’s where our music commences.” This exclusive set-up now becomes their jam room. It spurges their creativity, give an expression to their emotions and craft their compositions. The skeleton formed is then taken to a professional jam room with percussions, strings, bass and a hoard of people! The town of Mumbai sets the music ablaze with its liveliness. “The pace, the diversity, the liberty of thoughts and acceptance of ideas that the city displays woos me. It is like giving a Midas touch to the composition.”
“I particularly remember this show in Mumbai” he recalls. His eyes shone as he said, “Lights were gleaming, crowd was hailing, air was thick with the thundering sounds of drums, guitar and keyboards; I was on the seventh heaven singing my heart out! Amidst all, I threw myself at the audience, little did I realize, I broke a rib! That’s the magic Mumbai gives you. The magic that is born in Vasai and travels everywhere with me.”