Ritwik Kaikini
Educator | Music Composer | Researcher-writer
Ritwik Kaikini is an educator, music composer, and researcher-writer. Trained as a mechanical engineer, he graduated in 2018 with an MA in Arts and Technology from The University of Texas at Dallas specializing in Science Communication, Philosophy of Sound, and Sonification.
The works on the phenomenology of sound by Don Ihde and Edmund Husserl have been a great influence on his creative practice and interest in the study of listening experiences. Under the mentorship of Dr. Jeremiah Gassensmith, Frank Dufour, and Roger Malina he published his master thesis short documentary film – ‘Micro Lux Chants – Listening to bioluminescent bacteria’, an attempt to prototype a new approach to understanding data changes in the bacterial life cycle through the medium of sound (also known as sonification). This project was awarded the Best Thesis Award in 2018.
While in India, he also worked in IT as an Oracle Database Administrator for over two years and simultaneously assisted Kannada film music director – Charanraj, in understanding the basics of music production. During this time, he also contributed articles and reviews regularly to newspapers like the Deccan Herald and The Hindu on cinema, theatre, sound, and music. He has taught as a visiting faculty at KREA University, India, covering modules on art technologies, acoustics, and sound design. Being a student of Bangalore-based guitarist- Hamid Hasan, he also teaches the guitar to students. In 2024, he debuted as a music director for the indie Kannada film – ‘Kenda’ (2024), producing and composing three songs and the background score for the film.