A musician questions the mysterious death of Karan Joseph
Karan Thomas Joseph, a 29-year-old musician from Bangalore, died mysteriously on September 10 in Mumbai. He was easily one of the most prodigious and finest musicians the city had witnessed in the last decade.
I got to know Joseph as a fellow musician and then a friend over the past two years. He was immensely gifted and incredibly warm and friendly, a rare combination you wouldn't find easily in the indie music community of Mumbai.
A graduate of Berklee School of Music, Joseph was noticed and hit fame in a short while. His repertoire reflected in his virtuoso-like ability to blend jazz, R&B, experimental and electronic music seamlessly and with little equipment. Singers, producers, musicians and even Bollywood honchos would quickly session his talent on stage, and in studio. He was featured on the Bombay Black album (2015) as well as the Remix album (2015). He also remained a favourite musical companion for many of my closest buddies.Known as "Kay Jo" to his close friends, the young man was an in-demand musician, yet one who remained humble and gentle to all.I was shocked to hear that Joseph had "committed suicide". The news also left hundreds of musicians and friends aghast. The question on everyone's mind since has been: Why and how?
Within two days of his alleged suicide, a blog written by Mehak Mirza Prabhu, an entrepreneur and writer, surfaced and asked some relevant and poignant questions about his death, and his recent liaison with Rishi Shah, head of Rave, an entertainment agency based in Mumbai.
The website of this agency curiously claims that it is "the authority on emerging music from India and the lifestyle that surrounds it". The phrase, "lifestyle that surrounds it" stayed with me. The more I thought about it, the more I found it unsettling.
I also wondered what led Joseph to his death. It was just a day ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day. Indian news media, in its typical style, gave the story a spin and promptly forgot to follow up.
In fact, the entire coverage of his death was flawed. It didn't probe, rather it evaded pressing questions about the music industry. The abundant presence and use of drugs and alcohol, consumed on a daily basis by many seems to have washed away almost overnight.
Why was no one taking into account the company he kept? The risks of leading such a depraved and exhaustive life. His death warrants the community speak about the larger (hidden) problems that haunt it.
Evidence (as well as rumours) suggests the possibility that he was subjected to torture and emotional and physical abuse over a period of time. In fact, I'm told, Joseph had sent out messages to his friends, asking for help in the wee hours of dawn on September 9.
What saddens me is that almost no one seems to speak out about the problem of abuse, hedonism and the constant collision with ego-maniacs within the music industry, leading to constant fallouts in friendships and professional relationships, over and over again?
Musicians are known to be particularly vulnerable, be it an Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, or Karan Joseph. They live in an environment that is fraught with potentially destructive situations and dangerous relationships.
There is abundant proof of this. Research indicates more than 130 well-known artists under the age of 35 committed suicide in the last 15 odd years.
How can such a bright, humble and gifted person be driven to just "quietly jump off" the window? What was awaiting Joseph outside the window that overlooked the Bandra skyline of Mumbai on that fateful morning?
Is it just another case of being "eaten up" by the industry and the "sharks" that swim in it? Or did he fall prey to the "lifestyle that surrounds it"?
Maybe medical or psychological help coupled with care and compassion could have helped avert this tragedy. These questions will haunt us when actual loss confronts us.
Death of artists, however, is not new for Mumbai. Artists are constantly driven to take the extreme step because of the pressures that surround them.
And when we hear about the death, it leaves us with nothing but to sit in our circles and speak about it in hushed voices, or relegate it to eulogies and token "#RIP" comments online.
The death of Karan Thomas Joseph almost feels like the lights have been blown out for Mumbai's sound stream. I hope this never happens to future generations of artists who continue to arrive at its shores.
Adios Ka Jo! We love you. Will miss you forever.
(A version of the post appeared on the writer's blog.)