Debut performers to explore urban wanderings through songs and poetries at a concert in Mumbai

Shubham Gaur and Ragini Pratap. Pics Courtesy/Faraz Ali

Those who wander are never lost is a phrase often encountered while scrolling mindlessly through the endless loophole of the digital vortex. For Shubham Gaur, it is another example of human wandering. "We are all gypsies in our head," he explains. Gaur is a casting director by profession, but on September 7, he will join his fellows on Yayavar Collective to perform their first concert that explores this sense of wandering using original compositions and covers.

Gaur grew up around music. His grandfather, Pandit Jagdish Mohan, hailed from the Kirana gharana and was a well-known Hindustani vocalist, and Gaur himself learnt music and played on stage from the ages of seven to 19. "It all went away when I dived into casting direction," says the 37-year-old who has worked on films such as The Lunchbox, Special OPS and Four More Shots Please!

Sam Chandel and Tamal Pandey

For actor Amrita Bagchi, the journey has always been in search of an artistic medium of expression. An actress and short filmmaker, she also spent time in Santiniketan for a year, where she learnt Baul songs. So does Sam Chandel, singer and vocalist, who has been a part of several mainstream projects, including with composer AR Rahman, to name one.

"We were all nomads, travelling from one profession to another in search of something abstract," Bagchi shares. This search finally found a spark in Ragini Pratap, Gaur's mother who moved to Mumbai six months ago. A trained classical vocalist and an A grade artist with All India Radio, she prompted Gaur, Bagchi and the rest to put their original compositions together.

Amrita Bagchi

Pratap says, "The raags we have chosen to experiment with such as Kalavati, Kalyan and Durga fit a certain theme. I have learnt some new things, and experimented with newer styles. But each song has its own identity and journey, which is more important." Appropriately, the name of the collective, Yayavar, comes from the old Hindi term for a gypsy nomad. The nine-member troupe, which also features Ankit Sahu, Tamal Pandey, Aaditya Ahir, Sushant Singh and Shamsher, would get together to rehearse after work.

The concert on Thursday will witness the collective perform over 12 compositions, including several covers that capture the theme of wandering. The concert will open with Badra barse in raag miyan malhar by Ragini Pratap, followed by Ankhiyan pagli - a thumri composed by Pandit Jagdish Mohan. The playlist will also include Gaur's original composition Chaalvaasi, Sam Chandel's Janani and Bagchi's Bematlab, among them. There will also be medley of covers of Chhan kitthan by Ali Sethi and Faiz Ahmed Faiz's Gulon mein rang bhare. The theme of wandering is reflected across the board - in the changing age demographic, the transitioning between genres and the movement from baul-influenced folk to indie-pop and ghazals.

Chaalvaasi, for instance, is created to the form of a boatman's song. "These compositions were not created for a purpose. They are part of the journey that each individual makes within," Gaur explains. "It is the romance," Bagchi notes, adding, "My style harks back to the Bombay of the 1950s and 60s, when life was slower and crafted to the background score of Salil Chowdhury. I can still imagine Amol Palekar walking down the street past Mafatlal when singing," she reminisces. Gaur notes, "We sing and compose the songs we wish to create, not for a profit. This feeling is common to all of us." The term, amateur takes its root from the Latin verb ama - love. The concert is a reminder that sometimes amateurism is necessary for a passion project.

On: September 7; 7 pm onwards
At: Mayor Hall, Juhu Lane, Andheri West.
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 250