Every concert has been a significant milestone in my career. The launch of my World Music band called Prem Joshua & Band was no less significant an achievement for me and I’m happy that our efforts are being appreciated everywhere we perform.

As a child growing up in Germany, I was always inclined towards music and at the age of five I started learning to play the flute. As a teenager I also took to the saxophone and performed with rock, jazz and fusion bands. But at 16, my life changed completely when I heard a sitar recital by Pandit Ravi Shankar. This experience was an important turning point in my life as it completely altered the way I perceived music.

I’m also very proud of my newest album, Luminous Secrets, which is a medley of classical Indian raga music and poetry by Meera, Kabir and Sufi poet, Hafiz. I have given a western treatment to the music with the use of the keyboards, percussion, the saxophone as well as trance and jazz music. Creating fusion music is very difficult and we are not here to do mindless fusion.

I have travelled widely — to Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Wherever I have gone, I have been deeply attracted to folk music. When I came to India many years ago I felt that it was the beginning of a vast musical journey. Eventually, I found my way to the Osho commune. In India, my musical grooming has been under sitarist Ustad Usman Khan who has had a strong influence over my career.

As a musician I am inspired by various genres of music. When I compose I prefer to be in a very peaceful place because I feel that music and silence go hand-in-hand. I am hugely influenced by Sufi poetry and use a lot of Sufi lyrics in my works. I am looking forward to an eventful year as I will be performing globally.

(As told to Sushmita Biswas)