THIS year’s Leeds Lieder Festival, taking place from April 13 to 21, is filled with musically rich shows across the city that includes the world premiere of Punjabi Proverbs at the Sikh Centre.
The brand-new work by Cheryl Frances-Hoad features soprano Nina Kanter, baritone Oscar Castellino and pianist Keval Shah.
Written especially for the 2024 festival, the event on April 16 celebrates the cross-cultural art of British and Indian composers and poets.
Eastern Eye caught up with acclaimed soprano Kanter to discuss the unique show, her love for opera and creative inspirations.
What first connected you to music?
I come from a musical family and grew up surrounded by classical music. My grandmother was a Czech pianist who gave me my first piano lessons.
My parents took me and my sister (also a singer) to concerts and operas even as young children. We sang in children’s choirs and took part in lots of music summer schools. We were very lucky in that way.
What specifically drew you to opera?
I fell in love with opera as an undergraduate, particularly the raw emotional power of operatic voices.
I was used to singing choral music in churches, which is all about control and blending as a group. Opera is something completely different: the extremes of human emotion portrayed with big musical brushstrokes. When it’s done well, the audience feels this passion too, even in a big theatre.
Can you tell us about the Punjabi Proverbs show?
This is my first time collaborating with the pianist Keval Shah and baritone Oscar Castellino and it has been fantastic working with them.
We have put together this programme to showcase the dialogue between Indian and western classical music in song and poetry. As we are performing in the Sikh Cultural Centre, we wanted to focus on writers with links to the Sikh community, such as (Rabindranath) Tagore, Kabir and Mirabai, set by British and Indian-American composers. These works complement the new songs. We are really excited to be premiering Punjabi Proverbs by Cheryl Frances-Hoad, written especially for this concert.
What excites you most about this particular programme?
It has been really exciting for us to put together this programme, which showcases artistic exchange between Indian and western classical styles, and to perform it for a local audience.
It is always great to work on projects like this which push boundaries, while bringing communities together.
How does this project compare to your other works?
I have performed concerts of Indian and western classical songs before in India and sang a little in the Indian classical vocal style for those.
This programme is focused specifically on Sikh culture and connections with British and American composers.
Who do you hope will enjoy the show?
We hope that this concert will speak to everyone, but particularly the local Sikh community who is giving us the opportunity to perform in its centre.
We are privileged to perform this programme in that space and hope that we can do it justice.
Have you learned anything new while working on this show?
It’s been wonderful to discover this repertoire. It will be my first time singing in Punjabi and Hindi, so that is an exciting challenge for me.
I’m also happy to get a chance to work on singing in the Indian classical vocal style alongside western classical.
Do you experience nervousness before performing?
I do get nervous, but have learned to manage this. Also, nerves are a sign of caring deeply about the music.
What inspires you creatively?
I am inspired by artists who dare to push boundaries and do something new, whether that be in programming, composing or performing.
I also feel inspired when I work in community music settings, which often gives you an instant connection with an audience. The power of music is very present in those settings.
What do you think is the secret to generating power and emotion in your voice as a soprano?
I think that connecting with text and storytelling is key to this. If you feel the emotions of the narrative, this will translate into your singing and the audience will feel this.
Why should we all come and watch the Punjabi Proverbs show?
Many reasons. The concert on April 16 will give the audience a chance to hear a world premiere of new songs, alongside works which are not so often performed and speak to each other across cultures and time.
The Sikh Centre will be the perfect venue to experience the show.
We are hoping the concert will showcase part of the history of Indian and western classical musical dialogue, and that this is still developing in exciting new ways.
Punjabi Proverbs at the Sikh Centre, 192 Chapeltown Road, Leeds LS7 4HZ on April 16. www.leedslieder.org.uk
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Anurag Bajpayee's Gradiant: The water company tackling a global crisis
In a world increasingly defined by scarcity, one resource is emerging as the most quietly decisive factor in the future of industry, sustainability, and even geopolitics: water. Yet, while the headlines are dominated by energy transition and climate pledges, few companies working behind the scenes on water issues have attracted much public attention. One of them is Gradiant, a Boston-based firm that has, over the past decade, grown into a key player in the underappreciated but critical sector of industrial water treatment.
A Company Born from MIT, and from Urgency
Founded in 2013 by Anurag Bajpayee and Prakash Govindan, two researchers with strong ties to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Gradiant began as a scrappy start-up with a deceptively simple premise: make water work harder. At a time when discussions about climate change were centred almost exclusively on carbon emissions and renewable energy, the trio saw water scarcity looming in the background.
Their insight was that some of the world’s largest industries—semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food and beverage—were facing acute water-related challenges long before the general public grasped the issue. “Without water, these industries don’t just slow down; they stop,” Bajpayee has often remarked. What Gradiant offered was not just a way to save water, but a way to rethink how it is used, recycled, and valued.
The Engineers Behind the Mission
Anurag Bajpayee, the company’s CEO, whose academic path took him to MIT, where he completed a PhD in Mechanical Engineering focused on water treatment technologies. It was there that he met Govindan, a fellow engineer and now Gradiant's co-founder and COO, whose expertise complemented his in fluid mechanics and process engineering.
Unlike many founders who drift towards the language of venture capital and corporate strategy, Anurag Bajpayee and his team remained grounded in the technical problem: how to make industrial water treatment more efficient, more affordable, and more sustainable. The company still bears the imprint of its founders’ engineering roots. Gradiant is less Silicon Valley startup and more MIT lab, albeit one that has quietly expanded across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.
What Gradiant Actually Does
The company specializes in designing and building bespoke water treatment and reuse systems for industrial clients. Its technologies are aimed at enabling factories and plants to reclaim water that would otherwise be discarded as waste, reducing both the amount of water withdrawn from natural sources and the volume of contaminated water discharged.
At the heart of Gradiant’s portfolio are proprietary technologies such as Counter Flow Reverse Osmosis (CFRO), Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE) and Selective Ion Recovery (SIR), developed from the Gradiant founders’ early research at MIT. Unlike traditional methods like reverse osmosis, these systems are designed to handle highly contaminated or complex wastewater streams, enabling clients to extract clean water even from previously unusable sources.
But Gradiant does not sell “one-size-fits-all” machines. Each project is tailored to the customer’s unique needs. For a semiconductor plant in Singapore, this might mean achieving ultrapure water reuse levels of 98%; for a food and beverage factory in Texas, it might be about safely treating wastewater for discharge while minimising energy consumption. The company's approach—sometimes called "solutioneering" internally—is both its competitive advantage and its raison d'être.
Expansion Without the Usual Hype
Gradiant’s growth has been quietly impressive. From its first commercial project in the oil and gas sector, it has gone on to complete over 500 installations worldwide. The company has raised more than $400 million in funding from a mix of institutional investors and private equity firms, achieving so-called “unicorn” status, with a valuation reportedly over $1 billion.
Unlike many green tech firms, Gradiant’s expansion has not been accompanied by flashy marketing campaigns or grandiose statements. Instead, the company has preferred to build credibility client by client, particularly in Asia, where water-intensive industries and growing environmental pressures make its services indispensable. Anurag Bajpayee, never one to speak in superlatives, frames the company’s expansion as a “response to urgent need” rather than a triumph of business.
Inside Gradiant’s Operations
At its core, Gradiant is still an engineering-first company. Anurag Bajpayee and Govindan, both technically trained and heavily involved in the company’s operations, have instilled a culture where R&D is not just a department but the lifeblood of the business. The firm currently holds more than 250 patents globally, a testament to its ongoing commitment to innovation.
But Gradiant’s success is not just about technology. The company has differentiated itself by offering not just equipment but full-service solutions, including project design, construction, operations, and maintenance. This full-stack approach has been particularly attractive to clients in highly regulated industries, who need water management solutions that work seamlessly and reliably without requiring deep in-house expertise.
Gradiant’s clients include some of the world’s largest manufacturers, including Fortune 500 companies in sectors like microelectronics, pharmaceuticals, and energy. Some, like semiconductor producers, rely on Gradiant to help them meet stringent water reuse targets while maintaining ultra-clean production environments.
Navigating a Changing World
Gradiant operates at the intersection of several converging trends: climate change, regulatory pressure, and industrial decarbonisation. In many regions, water scarcity has become the limiting factor for industrial growth, sometimes more than energy availability or supply chain constraints.
While public attention often focuses on domestic water use, it is industries that consume the lion’s share of freshwater. Gradiant's pitch is straightforward: industries will have to do more with less, and Gradiant offers the tools to make that possible.
Anurag Bajpayee is keenly aware of the paradox that water, despite being vital, is often underpriced and undervalued, especially when compared to energy. “We don’t pay what it’s worth, only what it costs,” he told an audience at a recent conference. Yet, the landscape is shifting. Regulators, investors, and companies themselves are increasingly acknowledging water as both a business risk and a social responsibility.
What's Next for Gradiant?
Looking ahead, Gradiant appears poised to play a central role as industries adapt to water scarcity. Yet, Anurag Bajpayee remains cautious about the hype cycle. "The problem we’re working on isn’t going anywhere," he says. "It’s not a question of innovation alone, but of execution—of making sure these solutions actually reach the places that need them most."
In an era where water risk is increasingly material to business, Gradiant’s quiet, technically grounded approach may prove to be exactly what is needed.
(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Eastern Eye. The publication does not endorse or take responsibility for the accuracy of any statements made by the author.)