05 August,2024 09:48 AM IST | Mumbai | Devashish Kamble
Lakheshwar Khudaram (centre) performs a song in Halbi with his group of tribal musicians in Bastar
Musicians from cities often look down their noses at rural musicians. We carry an arrogant notion that rural artistes know nothing about the nuances of music," shares alt-rock band Daira's frontman Piyush Kapoor, over a call from Raipur. "Nothing could be further from the truth," he is quick to follow up. Kapoor's realisation comes after a collaborative project with the tribal Gond, Halba and Bhatra musicians of Chhattisgarh's Naxalite area, Bastar, spanning two years and in the band's words, a cultural eye-opener and a half.
For the band, whose name literally translates to confines or limits, the trip beyond began with an invitation to a music workshop in Bastar in 2022. Today, it ends with the release of an hour-long documentary of the experience titled Daira's Jadoo Bastar. "To add to our delight, the release comes just in time for the week dedicated to the world's indigenous people [International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples falls on August 9], and exactly two years after our first visit to Bastar," the musician shares.
"We were invited to a workshop by Rajat Bansal, the (now former) Collector of Bastar district. He had been introduced to our work through an acquaintance. The short workshop introduced us to talents like Lakheshwar Khudaram who had never stepped into a studio before, but somehow understood concepts like rhythm, cadence and key," Kapoor recalls. A month later, the band had already struck an agreement with Bansal to produce an album featuring the artistes.
"We were allowed exactly five days to record the album on our second trip. It was crucial that we made the most of it," shares lyricist Alok Ranjan Srivastava who penned Hindi verses for the tracks. "This is why heading down to Bastar was important. If I were to translate the texts here in the city, I would miss out on the nuances, the anecdotes, and the details that emerged from natural digressions when I sat down with them in their own homes," he explains.
Kapoor chimes in with his recollection of one such happenstance. "A young inconspicuous boy in his 20s was hovering around us during our first workshop. We were later informed by a local that he's an aspiring flautist. When he played a few tunes for us, we were floored. âYou're going to be on every song in this album,' I promised him."
We'd take Kapoor for a man of his word. The young flautist, Rahul Raikwar, remains a mainstay across tracks like Iya kaye hajaari, a folk song in the native Halbi language reimagined with a reggae composition, and Gaye chari gala, a soft-rock ballad inspired by the eponymous Bhatri language song about the cycle of life and our place within it. In pitch-perfect tandem with guitarist Vikalp Sharma, bassist Sourya Mukherjee and drummer Shreyansh Kejriwal, you'd be forgiven for assuming Raikwar was one of the rockers himself.
The diverse mix of styles is a pleasant surprise that keeps us hooked until the end of the five-track album. "That makes two of us," Srivastava laughs when we point it out. "With the five-day deadline, our process was driven purely by intuition. The local musicians would sing, and we'd piece a composition together on the go," he reveals. Kapoor believes being strapped for time might have been a blessing in disguise. "If you listen closely, you'll hear missed notes in some of the tracks. We didn't bother fixing them because it adds a rustic touch to the tracks," he notes.
We're happy to report that the two-year wait is culminating in a happy ending for not just the band, but also every tribal musician who played a role in the project. "The two-year delay came on the back of power changing hands in the area, and its impact on wrapping up paperwork. With everything in place, we are making sure every artiste gets their share of the royalties," the duo confirms.
For a group of laid-back rockers from Mumbai who have just returned from a district marked with Naxalite presence, the duo is unusually nonchalant and calm. "We have no dramatic stories of conflicts or unpleasant encounters. The red corridor (an area where Naxalite activities are concentrated) ran a few kilometres away from where we were. The people were extremely welcoming, and we laughed, sang, and sat down to eat together. To mark the end of our trip, we headed to a waterfall nearby, and danced our hearts out," Kapoor recalls fondly.
As the duo prepares for the launch of the documentary about the experience in the state's capital city today, we nudge them about their future plans. "We have started receiving calls from other villages in the state to work with them, but our focus remains on Bastar and giving back to the artistes who made this project possible. We will head to Bastar tomorrow, to perform the songs live for the local audiences," Kapoor signs off.
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