Amborish Saikia, a famed guitarist from Guwahati who has made his mark in the international circuit with his music, believes that music runs in the blood of northeast Indians.
Born in Nagaon, Amborish shifted to Guwahati early in his childhood to complete his schooling from Disneyland High School. After matriculation, he pursued higher secondary from Faculty Higher Secondary School, North Guwahati. Post higher secondary, he enrolled himself in Gauhati Commerce College and further got his MBA Degree from IMT, Ghaziabad with Operations as his major subject.
Belonging to a family of musicians, Amborish was introduced to the world of music at a very early age. “Everyone in my family, especially on my mother’s side, knows how to sing, play an instrument or are good listeners of music. So music was always there in the air! I started learning to play the guitar when I was in class 5 or so. I also learnt to play the tabla,” Amborish said in a candid interview with G Plus. As a child, Amborish also played table tennis, cricket and learnt karate, swimming, etc.
To provide a brief background of Amborish, he has performed opening acts for bands like Euphoria, Gibson, Megadeth and Machine Head, to name a few. He has also performed live in multiple countries such as USA, UAE, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Nepal and featured in popular TV shows like MTV Unplugged and VH1.
Walking us through his career and musical journey, Amborish said, “I started teaching guitar when I was in Class 10. Apart from that, I formed a band named Voodoo Child along with my friends in 2002 and that’s when I started playing professionally. In my journey, I have been associated with many bands and performed with various artists. To name a few, I formed a band called Casino Blue and won the best band category in an all India music competition held in Mumbai beating around 230 bands. I had the privilege of being an opening artist for various international bands such as Smokie, Megadeth, Machinehead etc. I also have been endorsed by popular guitar giants Gibson (USA).”
Amborish is most popular for being the lead guitarist of Euphoria, a popular Indian rock band put up by Palash Sen. The turning point in Amborish’s life came when he was doing a show with his band Voodoo Child at Delhi in 2010. It was during a show at Delhi, when members of Euphoria band spotted him and gave him the opportunity to join their band. He took up this opportunity, and since then there has been no looking back. He's been associated with Euphoria ever since.
The popular guitarist started performing with KK as a session guitar player in 2014 and has been associated with the Bollywood artist ever since. He has also done gigs with Papon, the heartthrob of Assam. He’s currently associated with the Abhishruti Bezbaruah Project, bands like Late Too Soon, Mo n The Shooting Stars and he’s also working on an upcoming Assamese project. Talking about his experience of performing at various national and international platforms with various artists, Amborish says, “Every place and every stage has its own uniqueness. When I see the crowd enjoying the show and dancing to my tunes, I feel like I’m experiencing the best moment of my life!”
While most guitarists shift to Mumbai to explore new opportunities, Amborish stays in Guwahati and travels to other cities and countries every time a project comes up. He is probably the only musician who stays in Guwahati and travels to places. He says, “My biggest achievement as a guitarist is the immense love, respect and support that I’ve received in my journey.”
Talking to G Plus, Amborish shared his thoughts on the current scene of rock music in northeast India saying, “I have always been proud of the northeast and its musicians. This part of the country has undoubtedly produced the finest musicians. Rock music seems like a synonym to northeast – people of this area really do relate to the music and understand it well.” Indeed, this region has produced some of the finest rock bands of the country, some of which are doing astoundingly well in Bollywood as well as individual sectors.
Amborish has a long list of famed artists he wishes to work with including the likes of Yanni, Pink Floyd, Jason Mraz and John Mayor.
Amborish Saikia, who has made a mark in the national and international music scene as a versatile guitarist, recently started his own music institute in Guwahati. Named as the Institute of Guitar Fundamentals, the institute provides an opportunity for musicians to learn the different nuances of guitar. Speaking to G Plus about the inception of the institute, Amborish said, “The main purpose of opening the institute is to share the knowledge and experiences that I have gathered in my journey to others and to guide them in their musical ventures.”
