The colour you choose

Pic/AFP

In the aftermath of George Floyd's death, singer Falu's 10-year old son Nishaad returned home to ask her a disturbing question - ‘Am I unsafe [in New York] because of my colour?' Discussion around the African American's death had become part of conversations in schools, and the New York-based Indian origin singer admits that "while raising a brown boy", a certain amount of training to ensure his safety, is imperative. "That's not a question any parent wishes to encounter," she tells us. "It is a discussion that takes place at the dinner table of every family of colour. You teach them to stay out of trouble, focus on the work, but be aware of their surroundings."

Moments like these, she says, inspired the making of her 2021 album, A Colourful World, which earned her a Grammy Award - a first for an Indian female in the Best Children's Album category - last week.

Falu is no stranger to the Recording Academy. Discussing her Grammy-nominated 2019 album, Falu's Bazaar, she had spoken about introducing items from her desi kitchen to her son, via music. She walked into the Grammys that year with the hope of bringing the gong home, but lost to Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats' All The Sounds. "So, this time, I didn't go with any expectation," she laughs, as she goes on to address how her approach to this album was at odds with her last one.

"With Falu's Bazaar, I wanted to talk to my son. With this one, I addressed every child. I wrote about crayons, rainbows, happiness, trains, and elephants. That made it universal. It is joyful and happy, and isn't a lesson on what to do. Parents can't tackle big ideas in a big way. You need to become a child when talking to a child. Acceptance and tolerance are big subjects. I wanted to teach them that just like the red crayon and the blue crayon can be placed in the same box, we can all live together even if we have different skin tones. Just like the red doesn't become blue, we don't need to change [to be accepted]. No child needs to feel shy," she says of the eight-track offering.

As a musician attempting to make a mark in America, Falu had previously told mid-day that she counts herself among the "minority's minority". She says, "[Women] don't have the same luxuries. It's tough for a South Asian woman to walk out of India and understand how another country works. Then, you need to learn how its music industry works. I had to make a name as a musician, while also learning how to exist as an Indian in America. Holding on to my Indian roots, while having an open mindset, helped me. I had people tell me that nothing would happen [in my favour]. But I knew I wouldn't stop till I reached my goal. So this win is a pat on the back [of all women]."