Toronto Tamil Artist Shares Journey of "Befriending Silence"
Meet Vinoj Suthakaran, a recent University of Toronto graduate in Mechanical Engineering, who firmly believes that there is more to life and more to give, than living a 9-5 routine. Aside from being an Engineer during his day job, Vinoj is also an artist educator.  He holds workshops on personal development through creative writing, and is a theatrical/spoken word artist under the stage name, Voice of Silence.
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Meet Vinoj Suthakaran, a recent University of Toronto graduate in Mechanical Engineering, who firmly believes that there is more to life and more to give, than living a 9-5 routine. Aside from being an Engineer during his day job, Vinoj is also an artist educator.  He holds workshops on personal development through creative writing, and is a theatrical/spoken word artist under the stage name, Voice of Silence.

 

This particular project all started with a compelling urge to share his story. He could not remain silent any longer. Vinoj grew up as an introverted, shy individual often feeling silenced and alienated from those around him throughout his childhood and teenage years. His upbringing consisted of limited interactions with his culture and the outside world.  Although his exposure to books and hip-hop allowed his creative side to thrive,  he really had no outlet to express himself. When he was 16, following the passing of his grandfather who he was very close to, Vinoj broke out of his shell by performing his first spoken word poetry at his high school.  From this moment, he began his journey of befriending the silence he was surrounded with.

 

Through his passion for poetry, Vinoj built his self-confidence skills and learned to accept himself for who he is.  This change is what allowed him to shape all aspects of his future endeavours. Now six years into composing and performing poetry, Vinoj has been published six times in various Canadian poetry anthologies, performed at countless shows across Toronto, and finally captured his journey in the form of his debut poetry/musical album, "Befriending Silence".

 

Editors-Note

"Befriending Silence" is a journey that embodies Vinoj's experiences through life over the last 5-6 years. With roots as a traditional spoken word artist, Voice of Silence takes his listeners through a vivid tale. The story begins with a boy who is trying to be one with the creation around him, but he soon falls from his place of contentment and enters a state of confusion, darkness, and lacking the feeling of belonging somewhere, which is what he calls "silence". Through his many downfalls and quest to search for himself, his source, his potential, and his purpose, the boy experiences a journey of negativity in his waking life.  However, this is balanced by the fact that he is able to experience bliss and encrypted messages in his dreams.

 

He eventually comes to the realization that this silence allows him to find himself and hear everything that is inside of him.  This propels him to the awareness that he has full control of his experiences, his goals, his vision, and he can shape his world around him at his will by knowing his inner voice. The story is all about coming to terms with the silence and embracing it. Through the fusion of cinematic scores, hip-hop music, South Asian-influenced instrumentation, and guest artists from his community, "Befriending Silence" captures the journey that every individual experiences at one point in their lifetime.

Notable tracks from this album includes:

 

  • "Your Faith You Are", an energetic poetic collaboration with a booming bass, intricate tabla, ghatam, kanjira, and more percussive patterns challenging how much faith we truly have in ourselves and how much of a similar foundation we share as humanity despite the diversity around us.
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/vinoj-vos/your-faith-you-are?in=vinoj-vos/sets/befriending-silence[/embed]
  • "DivineFlow", a meditative soothing poem comparing life's journey to the ever-changing nature of water, interweaved with the wooden flute, veena, keyboard, and carnatic vocals.
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/vinoj-vos/divineflow?in=vinoj-vos/sets/befriending-silence[/embed]

Experience the entirety of "Befriending Silence" below or on any major streaming platform.

[embed]https://soundcloud.com/vinoj-vos/sets/befriending-silence[/embed]

Photography captured by Zigga Zagga Productions
Artwork design by Tamir Holder

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TamilCulture
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