Exclusive Premiere: Watch Blushing Satellite’s Introspective Return with ‘Who Am I?’

Bengaluru alt band Blushing Satellite. Photo: Abheet Anand & Sanjana Bhatt

Less than two years after their debut self-titled EP, Bengaluru alternative band Blushing Satellite have returned with a new vocalist and still retained their breezy, calming energy. Singer-songwriter Mahesh Raghunandan croons sweetly but philosophically on their new song, “Who Am I?”

Guitarist and songwriter Ramanan Chandramouli says about the song, “It’s based on the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, my namesake. My father’s spiritual journey started because of Ramana Maharshi, so he ended up naming me after him. His main teaching was self-enquiry. To all problems and questions posed to him, he would always reply ”˜find the source of the questioner, find who the ‘I’ is and through this method the true self will be revealed’.”

If the music wasn’t spiritual enough, the band worked with city-based filmmaker Karthik Shetty for an evocative, metaphor-heavy video that follows Ramanan dressed, masked and stood amidst the hustle of Bengaluru’s Brigade Road and other areas (as well some timelapse footage from Kashmir, courtesy of filmmaker Raghul Sridharan), only becoming unmasked as he finds himself among the rhythm of nature. The guitarist says they were inspired by 1992 documentary Baraka. Ramanan says, “I want people to slow down, stop for a second and turn their attention inward. Shed the false self and discover the true nature within.”

With the nine-track album The Union completed, the band is currently working on album artwork to finish the package. Ramanan says, “We plan to release another video real soon and then once we have an album cover, release the album online. We’re planning an outdoor gig, in nature which will happen after the online release.”

Watch “Who Am I?”