Ankita Kumar, a pianist and daughter of police commissioner Neeraj Kumar, is all set to enthrall Delhi with her performance this Friday. She tells K Bhardwaj she didn’t choose to be in public service as it’s a thankless job
Ankita Kumar, daughter of Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar, is in a way following her father’s unfinished dreams. She is a piano player for the last 16 years and has staged shows across India. Her debut album was launched last year amid much fanfare and now, she is gearing up for next recital Harmony: Music from across borders on the Piano on July 12 at Indian Institute of Technology premises.
“I am dedicating it to my father. We share amazing bonding. He has always encouraged me and whatever I have achieved so far is because of him. He is expressive and has often spoken his love for us in public. He is a great poet and a romantic writer,” a proud daughter told us. She will be performing old Hindi and western numbers like Babuji Dheere Chalna, O Haseena Zulfon Wali, Godfather to name a few. Accompanying her on stage would be well-known guitarist Jaideep lakhtakia, who is also her teacher, and tabla player Deepak. “I started learning piano at the age of 12. I grew up watching celebrity pianist Brian Silas, who later taught me the instrument. It’s sad that piano is perceived as a rich man’s instrument. I want to bring it closer to as many people as I can,” she said. Kumar also owns her academy Colors of Music, which she established last year. “I also released album titled Resonance. Since then, I have given 30 performances,” an elated performer said. “The craze for learning piano is gradually picking up. Pubs and clubs are playing this instrument more often,” she added.
Kumar got married last year to her friend Kushagra Gupta but doesn’t know much about his profession. “He does something… oh he is financial consultant. I don’t know more than this,” she smiled. But why did you not get into police serviceIJ “This is the most thankless job on this earth. You give your 100 per cent and people would never appreciate. They will always crib what’s lacking. My father is a strong person. So he survives all this. But I can never imagine doing such a selfless service. I neither have strength nor inclination to serve people. I won’t even recommend this job to anyone,” she lashed out.
The 28-year-old artist, an alumnus of SRCC and Film and Television Institute of India, also runs her company Madhyam Films which produces documentaries and films. “We are doing corporate films. We are also planning to get into fiction. Producing films, not direction, is my priority at the moment,” she concluded.
