Mysuru: For Hanok John Bennet V, music and artificial intelligence (AI) are two complementary passions shaping his creative journey. A final-year artificial intelligence and machine learning engineering student at The National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysuru, and a professionally trained violinist, Hanok is exploring how technology can transform the way music is created and experienced.His project, ‘Musical Fingers’, uses computer vision and AI to track hand and finger movements and convert gestures into musical notes in real time. By simply flexing their fingers, users can produce Indian classical notes such as Sa Re Ga Ma or Western notes such as Do Re Mi. The project also explores applications in gesture-controlled musical instruments and assistive technologies.Hanok’s musical journey began at the age of six under the influence of his parents. His father, Vedavasagan, is a professional guitarist who has performed with orchestras and worked in the Kannada film industry. He currently teaches at a music school in Mysuru. His mother, Mohanagangothri, is a Hindustani classical vocalist who has also sung for Kannada films.With six years of professional musical experience and certifications from Trinity College London, Hanok plays the violin, acoustic and electric guitar, piano/keyboard and Hindustani bansuri. He performs as a first violinist with the Bangalore Strings Ensemble and the Mysore Chamber Orchestra and has shared the stage with artistes such as Hamsalekha, Jyotsna Srikanth and Ravi Basrur.He has also performed at the Mysuru Dasara, Srirangapatna Dasara and the Bengaluru International Film Festival.“Music gives me discipline, while AI gives me new ways to express it,” said Hanok, who envisions a future where technology and musical creativity work hand in hand.
