Not Quite Anyone’s Tempo: Ashoka’s Music Room Woes

 The Music Room|Photo courtesy: Tanisha Pandey/The Edict

As musicians on campus ramp up preparations for Vistaar’s flagship event, Battle of the Bands (BoB), scheduled for 28th March, challenges with the Music Room become evident. Across the board, members of the Ashoka Performing Arts community agree that damaged and dysfunctional equipment is making it more difficult for bands to practice. Poor ventilation and a lack of regular cleaning add to the discomfort during long rehearsals.

Idhant Chutani (UG’28), a drummer participating in the Battle of the Bands, tells The Edict that the poor condition of the instruments has interfered with his band's practices. He explains, for example, that the broken crash cymbal has not only impacted the band's overall sound but has also previously caused injuries to his hand.

The Drum Kit’s broken crash cymbal|Photo courtesy: Tanisha Pandey/The Edict

Participating in BoB as a guitarist, *Rajaram Desai (UG’28) points out that the quality of the guitars in the room is inadequate. He adds that the odour in the room makes rehearsals an unpleasant experience for him and his band.

Located in the basement of the mess building next to the storeroom, the Music Room has a persistent foul odour, likely due to moisture seepage from nearby chopped vegetables and food, which may also further damage its instruments. With many instruments already in poor condition, such as the drum kit with a broken crash cymbal and two completely dysfunctional electric pianos, the damp environment only accelerates their deterioration. 

The Music Room houses several dysfunctional instruments, including a broken violin, two non-functional electric pianos, and a damaged tabla set. According to Naisha Shetty (UG'26), the current Music Room manager, Vistaar lacks the budget to repair these instruments.

The room’s full inventory consists of a drum kit, a keyboard, an acoustic, and an electric guitar— all functional, but worn down from years of use and lack of regular maintenance.

Until recently, Vistaar could not use its budget for equipment repairs or replacements, limiting its spending solely to events. Even now, its Rs. 20,000 annual budget from the Student Life Office (SLO) is often insufficient, as most funds are reserved for events, external fest

registrations, and on-campus performances for its choirs—JimJams, Apple Cello, and Alankar.

“Replacing the drum kit’s crash is an expense that costs over Rs. 3000, which burns into the budget too much,” says Neel Rohatgi (ASP’25), the former music room manager.         

Rohatgi says Vistaar has been unable to raise funds from the student body to purchase new instruments, as it becomes an “issue of asset ownership.” Instruments in the music room, such as the acoustic and electric guitar, have been donated by students and alumni. Vistaar is in the process of establishing a system to secure alumni funding, with the aim of maintaining and enhancing the Music Room’s equipment. 

The room’s acoustics have also become a concern for nearby shops. Employees at the stationery store next to the music room report frequent disturbances from loud rehearsals due to inadequate soundproofing. However, a tuck shop employee expressed indifference, stating he was “too busy to notice.”

While funding limitations persist, Vistaar has received support from the IT department, which has lent the society cables and microphones for events and assisted with repairs to sound and lighting equipment. 

The maintenance department has recently repaired the faulty air conditioning, and housekeeping will begin weekly cleanings starting next week, Shetty tells The Edict.

Despite these improvements, the space remains littered, with empty food containers often left behind, attracting pests. Nischita Shekinah (UG ‘26), another Battle of the Bands participant, tells The Edict that the space also has a “mosquito problem”—Shetty calls for a more extensive pest control measure for the room, beyond the routine campus fumigation. 

 Leftover food containers and bottles in the Music Room|Photo courtesy: Tanisha Pandey/The Edict

The room is often disorganised, with instruments and borrowed equipment frequently misplaced or damaged. Isha Dhar (UG’26), Vistaar’s Vice-President, recalls an instance where students left borrowed speakers out in the rain.

Rohatgi supports keeping the Music Room accessible to all students but emphasises the need for “some sort of surveillance.” Vistaar’s new policy requires bands to film themselves using the equipment at the end of their slot to confirm it is still functional, a measure he says has helped with maintenance.

However, expanding this policy to the entire student body would be impractical due to insufficient manpower to monitor the recordings.

Improving the state of the Music Room is a major priority for Vistaar, Dhar tells The Edict. The society plans to allocate most of its remaining budget to repairing the worn-down drum kit. She adds that while student contributions are appreciated, the responsibility of providing and maintaining instruments should not fall on students or alumni. 

“The general principle should be that if you’re coming to a college, you shouldn’t be the one funding the instruments and equipment,” Dhar says.

The Edict reached out to a representative from the Student Life Office. Due to time constraints, they were unable to issue a comment. The piece will be updated once we receive a response.

(With inputs from Anushka Navaneeth, Junior Editor, News.)

Edited by Keerthana Panchanathan.