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WRITERS’ SPECIAL songwriters 8 Muttering under one’s nose, making up words as you go along, in the interest of lyrics that shall be violated no more, comes the FIRST CITY Writer’s Special

Songwriters don’t win Bookers. They don’t have the luxury of free verse; rhyme and metre are worthy adversaries and item songs, their nemesis. They are like guerilla poets, sneaking up on you through the car radio, bringing the mountain to the Mohammed, a moment of profundity between the daily motions of the day; and yet there will be a line, stuck in your head in an obscure confine; can’t wish it away, as Elton John croons, “My gift is my song, and this one’s for you.”

Words, from the corners of the country. Music that finds its path - in Bengali or Malayalam, chaste Hindi, English or Manipuri; songs transcend geography and they are all here for the Songwriters’ Special

Featured Songwriters: Indian Ocean • Akhu (Imphal Talkies) • Piyush Mishra • Swarathma • Chandrabindoo • Swanand Kirkire • Avial

18 FirstCity June 2013 adava y A sh i ma Y o graph b t Ind i an o cean. ph

Bhor was originally conceived for a film, Bhor which eventually got shelved. And we get very happy because a lot of these films don’t by Indian Ocean happen and then we can do whatever we want with the song!... The song is in a way Bhor is a song from Indian Ocean’s 2003 album Jhini. very simple, but very profound as well. Bhor bhor bhor bhai ek udta panchi/ Ja baitha ek daal, ja baitha It’s about finding some sort of a spiritual ek daal/ Khushboo daal ki man har le gayee, man har le gayee/ platform... So this bird is your mann, jo ki Khusbhoo daal ki man har le gayee, gajab tha rang jama idhar udhar bhatakta rehta hai Dawn/ A bird in flight/A branch, made its abode

Saans saans chadhe ishq ka jadoo, ishq ka jadoo/ Saans saans Why I chose this abode?/ I curse my benumbed senses. chadhe ishq ka jadoo reh reh kare kamaal/ Saans saans chadhe ishq ka jadoo reh reh kare kamaal/ Arre saans saans chadhe ishq Panchhi kahe kis gagan udu mein, gagan udu mein/ Gagan ka jadoo reh reh kare kamaal/ Saans saans chadhe ishq ka jadoo udu, gagan udu, kis gagan udu mein/ Panchhi kahe kis gagan reh reh kare kamaal udu mein behtar jo is daal/ Panchhi kahe kis gagan udu mein behtar jo is daal/ Pankh sunehriii/ Shahad chadh gaya, shahad Soaking its fragrance/ The world, coloured anew/ Every breath, chadh gaya, shahad chadh gaya/ Pankh sunehri shahad chadh a spell/ Every moment sublime gaya/ Pankh sunehri shahad chadh gaya/ Pankh sunehri shahad chadh gaya/ Antar tham gayee chal Kaun ghadi mein/ Aree chuni daal thi/ Chuni daal thi/ Chuni daal thi/ Kaun ghadi mein chuni daal thi, chuni daal thi/ Koshe New horizons fail, the sky far/ This abode evokes magic/ sudh budh har Wings clothed in golden hue/ A stillness seeps within

firstcitydelhi.com June 2013 FirstCity 19 FirstCity Column And the magical side of this song creation is that they never I meditated a lot for this song, for almost asked me what this song is about. Toh yeh ek beautiful cheez two weeks, and one day it just came to hai mere aur Indian Ocean ke beech mein.” He deconstructs the spirituality of the song for us, “The song is in a way very me and I finished it in two minutes, no simple, but very profound as well. It’s about finding some sort cutting, no rewriting, nothing! Once of a spiritual platform... So this bird is your mann, jo ki idhar you’ve meditated, spent enough time with udhar bhatakta rehta hai - the branch that the song is talking about is a metaphor of a spiritual platform, of that occurrence the idea, toh phir gaana ekdum ready where you meet your inner self for the first time, and you are andar se khil ke aata hai blissful. During the initial stage, you wonder if there’s some- thing else more beautiful than this... And finally, everything dissolves within the expansion of your consciousness... I can Qatal bhi aisa hua ke panchhi marke malamal/ Qatal bhi aisa write a whole book on it!” The song is thus deeply contempla- hua ke panchhi marke malamal/ Malamal hua aisa qatal bhi tive, and needed a particular state of mind to be articulated. hua/ Qatal bhi aisa hua ke panchhi marke malamal/ Allah “You have to completely empty your mind to reach this state, mere chidibaaz ne aisa phenka jaal/ Katra katra aasman hai and then patiently wait for an occurrence. I meditated a lot bujhi asal udan for this song, for almost two weeks, and one day it just came to me and I finished it in two minutes, no cutting, no rewrit- Enriched, the journey ends/ Trapped, the bird no more/ ing, nothing! Once you’ve meditated, spent enough time with Allah, the bird trapper spreads his net/ Trapped, the bird no the idea, toh phir gaana ekdum ready andar se khil ke aata hai more/ enriched, the journey ends/ Allah, the bird trapper (it comes ready from your being).Whichever writing process spreads his net/ Its essence now the sky/ It’s flight, the only it may be, it’s not just you but a lot of other cosmic elements truth that write alongside you; you become a channel or a tool for someone else.” Bhor bhor bhor bhor.... Rahul has his own take on it, “The song is about a bird and in Sanju’s mind, he conceived of the flight of a bird, not as a Dawn/ A bird in flight. liberation, but as a search... A bird keeps flying here and there, and finally lands on a branch and is struck by an epiphany; this ndian Ocean, eponymous with the indie rock is what I have been searching for my entire life! The bird is even scene for two decades now, are known as much cursing itself, look at me I’ve completely fallen in love with this, for their disdain for labels as for the beautiful what is happening to me... which sky will I fly to which will arrangement of their songs that speak about be better than this branch? And with the last line, anthar tham everything from rivers to riots, from prayer to gayi chal - the restlessness inside was settled. And with that, the politics. The band has created a unique Indian bird found its ultimate destiny, it became the richest creature Ocean sound by weaving a rich tapestry of musi- in the universe, and understood the meaning of real flight. So cal influences, ranging from Bengali music to jazz basically everyone can have their own interpretation of it, but improvisations, from Hindustani classical music you can say life is a constant search for something and that to hard rock, from Sufi rock to soulful melodies. something can be around you, or within you, you just have to The band’s current line-up sees them perform as a five-piece find it.” Bhor performed live is an impressive 17 minute musi- with Amit Kilam (percussion, drums), Rahul Ram (bass, vocals), cal arrangement. It was also the background score for a film SusmitI Sen (guitars), Himanshu Joshi (gabgubi vocals), Tuheen about Indian Ocean called Beware Dogs by Spandan Banerjee. Chakravorty (tabla, percussion). First City in conversation with “It’s one of the most difficult songs to perform live because it frontman Rahul Ram and lyricist Sanjeev Sharma about Indian requires a lot of peace and quiet; it’s difficult to perform for Ocean’s favourite song, Bhor. college audiences or even when people are drinking, it’s much Lounging in Rahul’s Mukherjee Nagar house with their many, more of a sit-down concert song. Once you create a song you many adopted strays, he speaks to us about the song’s creative can do anything with it; we keep thinking that if Sanju would journey while cradling the two-week-old puppy, Kanakalashmi have given the song to somebody else, an entirely different song Joe. “Bhor was originally conceived for a film, which eventually would have happened. And that’s why singer-songwriters are got shelved. And we get very happy because a lot of these films important because they conceive of the whole thing. The first don’t happen and then we can do whatever we want with the song he wrote for us was Khajuraho, he wrote some very nice song! Indian Ocean and Sanju (Sanjeev Sharma) have had a lines (Dhoom machi har nabh mein phoote ras ki phuharein/ longstanding relationship he’s written a lot of songs for us. Anhad ke aangan mein naache chanda sitare or The heavens What’s nice about him, there is very little back and forth because celebrate with the fountains of sweet nectar/ Dancing in the there are no producers or directors involved. Bas Sanju aur hum courtyard of the immeasurable are the legion of stars and the hai.” Sanjeev confirms the same over a phone conversation later, moon), and we were instantly sold. Done, Sanju done!” “The best thing about this song is that once I gave it to Indian Rahul meditates upon the myriad themes explored within Ocean, Asheem was going through it and he started murmuring Indian Ocean songs, and what drives these ideas, what inspires the melody and he and Amit created the song within minutes. the confluence of music and words, what convinces them to

20 FirstCity June 2013 as y S hekhar D o graph b t Ind i an o cean. ph stay true to their own vision. “See, Ma Rewa was a folk song, a Another song which we heard in Madhya bhajan that acquired a political weight, there was nothing in the Pradesh villages and got inspired by lyrics that suggested it but it became an anthem for the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Another song which we heard in Madhya was called Hille Le, written by Gorakh Pradesh villages and got inspired by was called Hille Le, written Pandey - a contemporary Marxist poet. So by Gorakh Pandey - a contemporary Marxist poet. So inspirations inspirations can come from anywhere can come from anywhere - whatever you are experiencing within yourself.” The band shares a harmonious and sensitive relation- ship with their lyricist, who concurs, “People should write more about the organic life around them. Nobody is writing about their family or relationships with other people or nature. I’ll give Lullaby you an example, I was doing the technical recce of Peepli Live in the villages in Madhya Pradesh, and I came across a man sitting by Akhu under a tree and singing beautifully. So I went to him and asked him what are you singing about? And he told me, I’m singing a It was during his stay in Delhi when Manipur-based poet, song where a brother is very excited that his sister is coming back songwriter, and protest musician realised that the childhood home for the first time after her marriage. And it really moved he had was far from normal. Akhu aka Ronid Chingangbam on me, in folk songs people write so much about the life around how his song Lullaby became spoken word. them - about seasons, about fields, about their dreams, about everything. I would tell aspiring songwriters to be truthful. Be Blood-soaked streets/ That’s my ground/ That’s where I play around/ truthful and try to get out what is inside, to go looking for their Sound of gunshots/ That’s my song/ That’s my lulla-lullaby/ Your expression which is their own thinking, which is not influenced revolution has snatched away/ My right to education by anybody else. We can always appreciate other artistes’ work but we shouldn’t get swayed by it, because everybody has their Te te tenouwa/ Kangleipakki tenouwa/ Angang na mullaga/ own unique expression.” Tenouwa na haraoiwi/ Oooooh ooooooohhhh/ Uhdei saba Lyrics Courtesy Indian Ocean and Sanjeev Sharma, Translated nongmeini/ Mana pangba makhoini by Rupleena Bose. Pa Pa parrot/ Parrots of Kangleipak (Old name of Manipur)/ (To hear Bhor log onto http://www.youtube.com/ When children grow up/ The most happy are parrots/ Oooooh watch?v=ez13hMIzaGw. ) oooooohhh/ From trees guns are made/ Deaf they are

firstcitydelhi.com June 2013 FirstCity 21 FirstCity Column tending many protest events not knowing what the hell we were Any physics calculations you do in Imphal up to. But after staying 12 years in Delhi, I realised the childhood we had back home was not so normal. That’s why I can relate will have the same result as the ones done to the youth from Kashmir or Chhattisgarh. What’s their fault in Africa or America, if it is done the right that they have to suffer so much just because they were born in these particular places? It is a very serious issue. It seems as way. But if I don’t talk or sing about the if no one is addressing it. After a decade they will represent a blood-soaked ground I am standing on, generation and what do you expect from a generation which who will? has gone through so much trouble.” Even though the singer-songwriter has written love songs, much of what he creates - poetry and music (he is also at the Blood-soaked body/ That’s my daddy/ You just shot him/ You just helm of a journal called Our Private Literature which publishes killed him.../ We don’t need your guns and bombs/ We just need poetry, plays and essays), he says is political. “My politics or tak- songs of love/ Your constitution has nothing for me/ All you do is ing a stand on something, has always been very personal... Every kill my innocence line of this song has a lot to do with Manipur or the North East. But children are children, everywhere they are the same, they Fallen bodies like/ Fallen leaves of October/ But you don’t care/ suffer for something they have never done...” Some childhood You bomb a town/ That’s my town/ That’s where I play around/ incidents, like the sound of gunshots mentioned in the song, he Don’t fill our lives with throes of pain/ Share a smile so we can tells us have played a “major role in what I have become today bloom again and in the songs I write”. “I remember I was in class 11, it must have been in 1998, we t is a feeling that singer-songwriter Akhu aka Ronid Chin- were protesting in our school uniforms in front of Assam Rifles at gangbam is familiar with - to be an outsider in your own Kangla Gate (the gate where many mothers stood naked protest- home. Not surprising then, that Tiddim Road (2009), the ing the rape and killing of Thangjam Manorama in 2004). Then title song on the first album by his Imphal-based folk rock suddenly the soldiers started firing guns and tear-gas shells... band, Imphal Talkies (2008) is about the disappointment The scariest part (it seems) now is that we were not scared at ofI a young boy who travels to Moirang (a centre of culture and all of the firing (even though) we were protesting against them tradition in Manipur) through Tiddim road, which leads from as we felt they had killed a young boy or taken away a boy from Imphal to Burma, just to find it being occupied by the army. home and he had never returned. I don’t even remember now Singing at protest gatherings - whether it be for Binayak the exact story of the boy but he could be any one of us.” Sen or the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims, Akhu has earned a fit- Much of his writing he says is influenced by poetry - whether ting label for himself, a protest musician, one that he feels very it be Allen Ginsberg, an American poet who belonged to the Beat comfortable with. Though, it hasn’t been that smooth a ride - Generation or to Thangjam Ibopishak and Yumlembam Ibomcha performances getting cancelled, recording song(s) on a Honda (“In mid 2000s I found Ibopishak and Ibomcha’s poetry. They electric generator because of power cuts in Imphal and conflicts blew my mind. They are the poets who questioned a lot of things with his father, who even though helped him with his finances, in our society since late 1960s”). While his compositions are usu- doesn’t want him to be a “full-time musician”, considering he has ally spontaneous, Akhu says, “I think both tune and lyrics come a doctorate in Physics from Jamia Millia Islamia. Interestingly, to me together. But my lyrics are mostly derived from poems the scholarship money ended up being used for recordings. I have written, so when I play the guitar I already have an idea But Akhu is not complaining as he writes about things that in my mind about what I want to sing. That’s where the guitar not just affect him personally but also about “much of what is comes in. The strum, the chord decides everything, the tune, happening in the country politically, socially and economically”. the melody, etc... When it comes to my music, I sometimes get He tells First City, “I have no other options. I can’t protest against carried away with my anger or emotions and I reach a certain anything with Physics or my research... Any physics calculations stage where I really don’t care about the melody. And then the you do in Imphal will have the same result as the ones done in song becomes spoken word.” Africa or America, if it is done the right way. But if I don’t talk Lullaby which started as a poem, was recorded at one of his or sing about the blood-soaked ground I am standing on, who friends’ studio in Imphal. For the chorus, he says he taught his will?” The blood-soaked ground that he saw as a child is written “nieces and cousin sisters to sing the chorus part which is a about in his song Lullaby, released in March 2013 as a single from parody of a children’s song (we often heard) on All India Radio, the band’s upcoming second album When the Home is Burning. Imphal... Also, now I don’t feel like recording songs in a studio... “The song was written in 2008 and it has been with me for once we record and release it, people think that’s how the song long and has evolved on its own over the period for good. I chose should always sound when you perform...” it (for the songwriters’ issue) because it deals with children in Protest musician and poet (one of his most well known songs conflict zones. In a place like Manipur, which is so militarised, is Eche, a tribute to Irom Sharmila), he is presently working on there is no space for children or youth to express their emotions. the online release (June, first week) of the second episode of his And you know, when you are young, you need a platform to let project - The Imphal Music Project (January 2013), a platform your emotions out. The children here have suffered a lot. They for artistes to collaborate with each other. Their next song, he witness many forms of violence. I myself grew up in Imphal at- tells us is about the recent Shahbag protest in Bangladesh.

22 FirstCity June 2013 y N aman S ara i ya o graph b t a l k i es). ph o A khu (Impha l T

He is, as he says anti-establishment, “Anti to the establish- When it comes to my music, I sometimes get ments of new army camps or mining companies in places like carried away with my anger or emotions Manipur or to the establishment of already existing form of poetry trying to please only English-speaking people,” but he doesn’t and I reach a certain stage where I really wear the tag on his sleeve all the time as he signs off casually, don’t care about the melody. And then the “I am just an acoustic-guitar folk-oriented singer-songwriter.” song becomes spoken word (You can stream Lullaby at http://tiny.cc/8awixw.)

Aye surmayee aankhon ke pyaalo ki duniya o duniya/ Satrangi rangon gulaalon ki duniya o duniya/ Alsaayi sejon ke phoolon ki duniya o duniya re/ Angdaayi tode kabootar ki duniya o duniya O Ri Duniya re/ Aye karwat le soyi haqeeqat ki duniya o duniya/ Deewani hoti tabiyat ki duniya o duniya/ Khwahish mein lipti zaroorat ki duniya by Piyush Mishra o duniya re/ Hey insaan ke sapno ki neeyat ki duniya o duniya/ O ri duniya o ri duniya/ Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai Piyush Mishra, the madcap genius (a role he ironically portrays in the film Gulaal as the senile Shakespearan jester-critic-musician This song on the outset is about the haunting mise-en-scène it cre- in a bandmaster’s costume) remembers with glee the free hand ates, a noir stage, resonating in the eerie yet fascinating landscapes Anurag Kashyap gave him while writing the lyrics for the film it paints. The first six odd lines describe the world built into the Gulaal in 2009. He was told to write a song based around the line narrator’s consciousness - a world inhabited by kohl-darkened Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaaye Toh Kya Hai from the iconic song eyes, a kaleidoscopic world full of colours. The world of chaos in Pyaasa as a tribute to Guru Dutt, “There’s so much truth in where habits are abandoned and a world otherwise guided by this one line.” It resulted in the song O Ri Duniya, bone-chilling needs which is now rapt with desire. Enter transgression, where in its beauty. the truth is sleeping calmly on its side, and people’s dreams have

firstcitydelhi.com June 2013 FirstCity 23 FirstCity Column makaan mein basera wo dhoondhe/ Jaisi bachi hai waisi ki I wrote about my life experiences. I think I waisi, bacha lo ye duniya/ Apna samajh ke apno ki jaisi utha lo ye duniya/ Chhitput si baaton mein jalne lagegi, sambhalo am over-cautious, overly concerned about yeh duniya/ Kat-pit ke raaton mein palne lagegi, sambhalo yeh whatever has happened around me. This duniya is rotten, that is bad, and here children Marked with despair, this is a cry against the transience of are getting raped. When all these elements life. Even if someone survives the storm of despair, he is come together and you try to accommodate looking for shelter in a burning house; his survival is of no use to the future. The soothsayer warns whoever’s listening them then there’s a burst, and that can to save this world, as it remains, whatever of it has survived. happen in any form. Everybody knew this Otherwise, it’ll burn with trivialities, and live in darkness. song had to come Wo kahen hain ki duniya ye itni nahi hai/ Sitaaro se aage jahan aur bhi hai/ Yeh hum hi nahi hai/ Wahan aur bhi hai suspect intentions. There increases a sense of foreboding, which Hamari har ek baat hoti wahin hai/ Hume aitraaz nahi hai gets enhanced with the minor notes in the song. kahin bhi/ Wo aalim hain, faazil hai, honge sahi bhi

Mamta ki bikhri kahaani ki duniya o duniya/ Behno ki siski The world is beyond our widest conceptions, beyond these stars. jawaani ki duniya o duniya/ Aadam ke hawwa se rishte ki The question of a higher power in distressing times becomes duniya o duniya re/ Shayar ke pheeke lafzon ki duniya o more immediate, for He makes all the decisions. He’s wise, duniya/ Ghalib ke momin ke khwabon ki duniya/ Majazo ke un virtuous and therefore probably in the right. inqalabon ki duniya / Faiz-e-firaq-o-Sahir-o-Makhdoom-Mir ki Zauq ki Daaghon ki duniya/ Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to Magar falsafa yeh bigad jaata hai jo wo kehte hain / Aalim yeh kya hai kehta wahan Ishwar hai/ Faazil yeh kehta wahan Allah hai/ Kaamil yeh kehta wahan Isa hai/ Manzil yeh kehti tab insaan Exploring the sharply divided conception of his world like a se ki/ Tumhari hai tum hi sambhalo yeh duniya/ Yeh bujhte two-way mirror; on one end, we see sobbing sisters who have hue chand baasi chiragon/ Tumhare yeh kaale iraado ki duniya lost their youth and mothers who have lost their children for a world that once belonged to Adam and Eve. The ending stanza leaves the audience with a combined tinge The world thrives in the words of a fading poet, yet this is the of hope and regret. While the wise, the virtuous and the perfect world full of Ghalib and Momin’s dreams, and this world once have hopes of a god presiding over and looking after them, ex- belonged to the revolutions conceived by Majaz. It yet remains perience has taught us that this world of dying lamps, this world a world of Faiz, Firaaq, Saahir, Makhdoom, Mir, Zauq, Daagh. of dark intentions, this is our world, for us and only us to save. This would make a person who’s foreseen all these worlds won- der - what even if we conquer this world? eflecting on why this remains his favourite song, Piyush says, “I really admired Sahir saab (Sahir Pal chhin mein baatein chali jaati hain/ Pal chhin mein raatein Ludhianvi, Pyaasa’s lyricist); also there were many chali jaati hain/ Reh jaata hai jo savera wo dhoondhe/ Jalte things happening around us then and now, there was 26/11, there was so much disturbance, if you Rput the song in the midst of all of this, you will see that it has an explosive meaning, there is a message in it, and that message is very explosive. Shaair-o ka mijaaz hai, yaa chhabees gyarah ho raha hai, ya dange ho rahe hai, I have tried to capture everything, uska expression tha joh ekdum sahi tha (It sets the mood for poets, yet captures all the riots, it was accurately expressed).” He considers it different from his earlier work in Black Friday, “(O Re) Duniya is a much larger song. Bandeh was about communal riots, even apart from communal tension; Duniya explores the end to which this world is headed. What all this suffering is for, what we cry for. What we lack, after achieving so much as a community. I wrote about my life experiences. I think I am over-cautious, overly concerned about whatever has happened around me. This is rotten, that is bad, and here children are getting raped. When all these elements come together and you try to accommodate them then there’s a burst, and that can happen in any form. Everybody knew this song had to come.” Talking about the much-decried run-of-the-mill lyrics of Pi yush Mi shra

24 FirstCity June 2013 i nger s b ack o m the p l ay ill fr v i e st Pi yush Mi shra i n a m o contemporary film music and their repetitive themes he says, Lyrics should have a poetic quality, “Whatever be your topic, be it sex, be it love, it is very important but should not essentially be poetry. to explore with your lyrics. You might describe a thing as you see it, but that is the question, how to bring out the semantics, Even if people don’t listen to the the poetic expertise to the fore. There is so much possibility in songs carefully, they hear the lyrics. every song, there are so many metaphors in Beedo (from the film Gulaal), based on Rajasthani folklore, folk music sung by a They might understand them tawaaif, it discusses a political scenario through what is primar- later, but their poetic quality comes ily a love song.” forward first, sound uski aisi ho ki Having said that, while the words are important, Piyush con- siders the poetic quality of a song much higher than the weight aap bole, haan yaar, isme baat hai its lyrics may carry. This is where he distinguishes other kinds of (you hear the sound and you sit up writing from writing lyrics. “Lyrics should have a poetic quality, but should not essentially be poetry. Even if people don’t listen to and take notice) the songs carefully, they hear the lyrics. They might understand them later, but their poetic quality comes forward first, sound uski aisi ho ki aap bole, haan yaar, isme baat hai (you hear the sound and you sit up and take notice).” And then the poet in him reminisces about Kishore Kumar’s Topiwalleh well-loved song from Half Ticket as the perfect example for this, a song he wishes he’d written - a dash of gentle satire here, a tinge by Swarathma of hope ahead for the world. Cheel cheel chillake kajri sunaaye/ Jhoom jhoom kauwa bhi Known for their visual appeal (topis galore) and theatrics dholak bajaaye/ Arre waah waah waah! (The kite screams away on stage (debating about issues before performances) as much a song for its audience/ The crow dances around to the song as for their lyrics (which deal with issues like child sex abuse and while playing his drum/ Arre waah waah waah!) water scarcity) and music, Bangalore based folk-rock band gets candid about their songwriting process - singing in a trance, (You can stream O Ri Duniya at http://tiny.cc/gw6kxw.) shutting themselves for days for writing workshops and more.

firstcitydelhi.com June 2013 FirstCity 25 FirstCity Column teous crusader, but that of a common man who understands We went to Mangalore and spoke about the nature and business of politicians.

these guys hitting girls in a pub. The song, or Pawan Kumar, band member of Bangalore based he adds, isn’t restricted to corruption but folk rock band, Swarathma, the freedom to share all the wrong things happening in politics. his thoughts with a huge audience is the most unique thing about songwriting. “It is a privilege Vasu clarifies that they aren’t singing from that you can perform and make them feel what a point of moral righteousness, If I am Fyou are feeling.” But that freedom often comes at a price. After performing their title song from their album, Topiwalleh (re- singing it today, doesn’t mean I am not leased May, 2012) at the launch of a youth wing of a political responsible party in Kolhapur, the independent candidate became visibly miffed with the lyrics of the song, Topiwalleh - a satirical take on the political system of the country. “We wanted it to be Sir pe haath dale/ Khaali pet maare, topiwalleh light-hearted and (had it been) literal, it would become mostly like accusing somebody...That’s why we brought in the reggae Jhukke toh pairon ko chhoole/ Par apna pichchu sambhalle/ and used a Carnatic instrument - ghatam.” Haaton ko tu jode/ Kharid le ghode/ Yahi to raajneeti hai Written by Vasu Dixit and a guest lyricist, Imran Chowdhury, bhaiya/ Bole meri maiyya/ Haste ko aur hasaaye/ Rote ko aur the video of the song, a compilation of news clippings from rulaaye/ Pakde gaye to bole... na na na na na TV channels, shows politicians at their worst behaviour. The video worked at a level they did not expect. Just around the Mathe pe laal teeka/ Khoon wahi hai kaala/ Dharam ke noton launch of the album, Pawan allegedly got a call from someone ko chhaape/ Chipkaate hain jo dilon pe/ Neeti ka maila ujaala/ who claimed to be a contender for a high political office in Andha kiye saala/ Dhandha hai ye jhanda Karnataka, warning him he would “thrash him in his own Jhande ka hai batwaara/ Khel wahi puraana... ha ha ha ha ha house!” Pawan was scared, though later he discovered the call turned out to be a spoof by a radio jockey! First performed In India, the cap or the topi is associated with anyone in power in Delhi, the song was born during the time a lot of “political - politicians, government officials, police etc. This song, a satire, scams (that) were taking place, not that it wasn’t happening is about the corruption amongst those in power, though it is not before,” Vasu tells us. “It is just that lots of things were coming specific to India. up. I had actually written the first few lines and I was going through a creative block so I asked Imran to help out.” But the The first stanza warns one against the nature of those in power. band which presently consists of Jishnu Dasgupta (bass guitar Touching somebody’s feet is considered a mark of respect but a and back-up vocals),Vasu Dixit (vocals and rhythms guitar), politician doing so is rather a work of a con. One of the many Pavan Kumar (percussion and back-up vocals), Varun Murali con jobs described in the song is horse-trading. Switching politi- (lead guitar), Sanjeev Nayak (violin), and originally started as cal parties based on who pays more money is a usual practice. a college band, “always wanted to do a satire on politics and the The red mark on the forehead (laal teeka) mentioned in the last political system in India...one thing which was really bothering stanza, is a religious symbol politicians use to garner votes and us all the time. And when the tune came up, we thought why not turn one religious community against the other. write a song on that... we work on tunes first and then once we The tone of the song is not that of an anti-corruption self-righ- get the structure of the chords and everything and then all of us sit and discuss what we are feeling individually.” The band recently shut itself in a farmhouse in Mysore as an exercise for a songwriting workshop and now is planning workshops with a different approach. While a lot depends on the presentation (the topis worn by the band members, in fact, are stitched by a tailor, Shyam Rao who belongs to the third generation of a family of freedom fighters), Swarathma enjoys bringing up a discussion about current issues before performances. Pawan says, “For example, we went to Mangalore and spoke about these guys hitting girls in a pub.” The song, he adds, isn’t restricted to corruption “but all the wrong things happening in politics”. Vasu clarifies that they aren’t singing from a point of moral righteousness, “If I am singing it today, doesn’t warathma

S mean I am not responsible.”

26 FirstCity June 2013 warathma S

“When we jam we reach that trance state, where we are not I came home, the end-rhyme of the lines thinking anything, eyes closed while playing and then suddenly dictated several words to me; one of them at the end, you start getting meaning out of it.” When the music takes over the lyrics, there is meaning at the was ‘tram’. I liked the word. Now, how to end of road. Vasu adds, “This is the way to go, we try to say it the use that word in this song? I remembered way it is, leave it open. It (the system) has become a joke, nobody gives a damn yet...we have to build it afresh.” Jibanananda Das, arguably the greatest Bengali poet, and thought I could use his (You can stream Topiwalleh at http://tiny.cc/ci4ixw. Catch them death (he was hit by a tram) as a signifier live on June 13 at Hard Rock Café, Saket. For details turn to page 86.) of cruelty of the city

of the moons/ The city tram is licking the poet’s blood Bhalo Lagey Na this afternoon Oh, enough of the little pleasures/ The children are reciting the by chandrabindoo angels’ names/ The suns are seeking the comfort of the moons/ Nobody called me, yet I looked back this afternoon Bhalo lagey na je ei haasi-khela/ Bachhara bolchhe pori- der naam/ Surjo-ra khunjchhe chaand-er araam/ Kobi-r rokto The language and the feeling that the song evokes has a fairy-tale chaate shohorer tram/ Ei bikel-belay like quality, while it deals with the cruelty and coldness of the city that is Kolkata. The ‘city tram’ or shohorer tram licking the poet’s Bhalo lagey na je ei haasi-khela/ Bachhara bolchhe pori-der blood is a potent metaphor, referring to the death of the poet naam/ Surjo-ra khuNjchhe chaand-er araam/ Keu daake ni run over by a tram, where the image of the tram crystallises the tobu pichhu firlaam/ ei bikel-belay essence of the coldness of a city to all that is poetic and beautiful. And it is thrown in sharp contrast to the repeating lines which The song can be roughly translated as: set a magical stage with the children reciting angel’s names, suns Oh, enough of the little pleasures/ The children are recit- seeking moons (which could also be an analogy for the binary of ing the angels’ names/ The suns are seeking the comfort masculine and feminine). Although there is no apparent reason

firstcitydelhi.com June 2013 FirstCity 27 FirstCity Column C handra bi nd oo

I write the lyrics first, I write whatever I college band and subsequently launching their first album, Aar feel like, without a single care in the world. Jani Na in 1997. Anindya wanted to compile all the songs, written for college-fests, in one album because “they were rapidly being If the tune is set first, then I decide the plagiarised by established singers. The idea of continuing this theme and after a few lines of establishing endeavour grew as I, Anindya and Upal discussed the possibility of releasing albums and taking Chandrabindoo to a different that, go wild. But in both the cases, it is level,” said Chandril. At present the band consists of Anindya very different from writing a film song, Chatterjee (songwriter/music composer/lead vocals), Chandril because there, one has the responsibility to Bhattacharya (songwriter/music composer/vocals), Upal Sen- gupta (songwriter/music composer/lead vocals), Arup Podder communicate. In a band song, we care two (bass guitar), Surojit Mukherjee (lead guitar), Rajshekhar Kundu hoots for communication! (drums), Sibabrata Biswas (keyboard) and Sourabh (percussion). “It is very difficult to pinpoint the spirit of Chandrabindoo since the band’s USP is its versatility. The songs of an album for hope at all (‘Nobody called me’), in the last few lines, the song might range from totally esoteric to absolutely flippant. The ends on an optimistic note (‘yet I looked back’). band is known for its inclination towards satire but it has an equally impressive repertoire of romantic songs,” says Chandril ingers-songwriters Anindya Chatterjee and Chandril when asked about the one song that encapsulates the spirit of Bhattacharya from the popular Bangla band, Chan- the band as a whole. He continued, “I can tell you about a song drabindoo spoke to First City about one of their that is close to my heart, but it does not encapsulate the whole favourite songs, both lyrically and compositionally. Chandrabindoo spirit (if there is indeed any such thing). The Famous in their native state of West Bengal and among song is called Bhalo Lagey Na (from their fourth studio album, BengaliS audiences, Chandrabindoo is known for their sardonic Chaw).” lyrics, often falling back on an informal, youthful, conversational The creative process for the existentialist songster-satirist, style of writing with references to popular culture, which can Chandril “lasted a single day. Next day was the deadline for be at times politically charged. The band has come a long way submitting the song. Deadline is my greatest, if not only, in- from being a group of friends making music together to being a spiration. We went for a TV shoot that day. So, the first thing

28 FirstCity June 2013 I decided was that the song had to be very short, because I had to write it between the shots and in the midst of stupid chaos. Baawra Mann is a result of my first As everybody was preparing for the first shot, I took a stroll around the studio. I planned; the song had to have very loaded interactions with the big urban life. I think lines (since the number of lines would be less), not very easily the loneliness, plus hope, introspection, understandable (the sadist in me was awake). If the thought is khud ke prati thoda sa mazaak (self- simple, the representation should be really complicated. I came back (to the shoot after the walk), but stood a bit away mockery) all these come to the fore from the action and looked at the crew and my friends. I saw a chap who was so happy that he was ceaselessly chatting away and beaming, just because he would be seen on TV. I found that attitude to be ridiculously naive. And the second line came to me immediately. I looked around and saw several intense faces who Baawra Mann were all eyeing the beautiful and very well-endowed girl who was a member of the crew. Or maybe while I was ‘appreciating’ her by Swanand Kirkire I discovered that I was not alone. The third line thus was born. Then, I constructed the first line (a very simple line, defying my Swanand Kirkire, the magic pied-piper of the Hindi film resolution. I rationalised: well, at least the introduction should industry, who has been composing music for the past decade be easy!) and got busy shooting. We finished very late and after for films, is known for his lilting lyrics often in tandem with I came home, the end-rhyme of the lines dictated several words an old world sensibility, and the power he possesses of trans- to me; one of them was ‘tram’. I liked the word. Now, how to porting the listener to simpler, more harmonious times. Delhi use that word in this song? I remembered Jibanananda Das, may remember him from his theatre days in Act One Theatre arguably the greatest Bengali poet, and thought I could use his Productions, doing the rounds of Mandi House, working with death (he was hit by a tram) as a signifier of cruelty of the city. Piyush Mishra and NK Sharma, writing songs. There is one song That would sum up this ‘who is doing what’ song. The children of his that has haunted him ever since it came into the public are doing this, the suns (or, sons) are doing this and the tram (or imagination. We’re talking about Baawra Mann, heard for the the city) is sucking the blood out of sensitive people. Very good, but I had to write four more lines in this vein. I had planned the song would have two stanzas. But I was too sleepy. So, I thought, let the stanza be repeated. That would hammer the complicated lines at least twice, and would appear to be a deliberate stylistic device. Then the tact of changing the last line of that stanza oc- curred to me. Just when the listener would think the whole first stanza was being replicated, he/she would be thrown off-balance. I hastily wrote the line, and easily, because this would happen to me quite literally at that time: while walking on a busy street, I would think somebody had called me and look back, but re- alise I was mistaken. I had full confidence that this would seem overwhelmingly metaphoric when inserted in the song. So, the song was complete and I was fast asleep.” Usually, for the band, the melody, the tunes come first. There is one tune that dictates the tone of the lyrics. Chandril adds, “If I write the lyrics first, I write whatever I feel like, without a single care in the world. If the tune is set first, then I decide the theme and after a few lines of establishing that, go wild. But in both the cases, it is very different from writing a film song, because there, one has the responsibility to communicate. In a band song, we care two hoots for communication!” Chandril, who writes the ‘fun’, oft nonsensical lyrics in the band draws inspiration from Leonard Cohen, Rabindranath Tagore and Suman - “Cohen for his divine unpredictability (in using words or expressions), Tagore for his impeccable construction, Suman for his palpable passion.” Roads, slums, trees and cars are the few things that the writer sees outside his window but he adds, “I seldom write sitting at my desk. I prefer walking while constructing the lines. So the view changes.” wanand Ki rk i re wanand

(You can stream Bhalo Lagey Na at http://is.gd/zqpMwx.) S

firstcitydelhi.com June 2013 FirstCity 29 FirstCity Column wanand Ki rk i re wanand S

The song has a very strange relationship ritories, and knowing the risks of transgression, and this risk with the film and that is what makes makes it tremendously enjoyable. it so interesting. It does not spoon-feed Baawre se iss jahan mein baawra ek saath ho/ Iss sayani bheed the audience, it is just like Hazaaron main bas haathon mein tera haath ho/ Baawri si dhun ho koi, baawra ek raag ho/ Baawre se pair chahen, baawron tarano Khwaishein Aisi in its temperament, ke, baawre se bol pe thirakna/ Baawra mann, dekhne chala ek which is based on a poem by Ghalib, sapna and it revolves around a poetic idea. The lone figure, the ‘baawra mann’ seeks company in his That is the beauty of poetry quest for the unknown, a person who will enable the narrator in the poem to look past the cunning milieu. In the inevi- table loneliness of the urban setting, we’re never more alone first time in the film Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. than when in a crowd. The narrator seeks a roving tune, to distract him and take him away towards a dance to its stray- Baawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna/ Baawre se mann ki ing beats. dekho baawri hain baatein/ Baawri se dhadkane hain, baawri hain saansen/ Baawri si karwaton se, nindiya door bhaage/ Baawra sa ho andhera, baawri khamoshiyan/ Thartharati lau Baawre se nain chaahe, baawre jharokhon se, baawre nazaron ho maddham, baawri madhoshiyan/ Baawra ek ghoonghta ko takna/ Baawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna chahen, haule haule bin bataaye, baawre se mukhde se sara- khna/Baawra mann, dekhne chala ek sapna Baawra Mann alludes to the figure of the soul gone ‘mad’ with the desire to explore and grow. It refers to a lone figure in a In his state of excitement, even the darkness seems madden- strange land unknown to her/him. Baawra Mann talks about ing, so do the silences. The poet seeks to steady the quivering adventures, new experiences, as if in an exciting dream. It refers flame of light, poised for flight, on its way towards a dream to the trepidations of a person entering completely alien ter- travelling in unknown lands.

30 FirstCity June 2013 aawra Mann has for years, lived a life of its own. Despite having composed for many films after that, The theme of the song can be summed up Swanand still confesses to singing it regularly on public demand. “Baawra Mann is not a very concrete in one sentence... Sometimes one relates to song, it is a metaphor. There are times when you write happiness in brief illusory moments but Bthings for specific things and there are times when you write for nothing. Baawra Mann has been written in a particular state of the search for bliss is never-ending mind, for a particular state of mind. It is a song about what we go through in our everyday urban life. Even if I like a kind of language which has an old world tinge or spell to it, essentially what I try to write in my poems or songs is the imagery which I Ettam Pattu see around me. Baawra Mann is a result of my first interactions with the big urban life. I think the loneliness, plus hope, intro- by avial spection, khud ke prati thoda sa mazaak (self-mockery) all these come to the fore.” He clarifies the importance of the tense in the Avial: Ettam Pattu, meaning the eighth song, is the eighth first line, “I haven’t said baawra mann dekh raha hai ek sapna, and final track from Avial’s self-titled debut album released in yaa baawra mann dekhna chaahe ek sapna (The straying mind is 2008. seeing a dream, or the straying mind wants to see a dream). It is a gentle rib at the character, it mimics everyday conversation, it Maanathula cheluvilakke keezheninne njan kanddathale is like “yaa yaa, banne chaala actor!” And then somewhere you Kaaruvanne kolettumvanne kattuvanne pennem paranje know, what ties the song together is the usage of the word ‘baawra’. Kunnum kadanne njan ennguvanne Swanand Kirkire is a director’s lyricist. “Every director brings peneyum nokumbo njan anngupoye something out of you”. Ask him about the brilliant irony which Baawra Mann built up in the film, played where the characters Therakaananje theeram nadanne come full circle, and he says, “When Sudhir decided to use it in Thereaddikka kadalum kadanne the film, I myself wasn’t sure whether it would work, I wrote it Manathunne vettam pozhinje for myself. It has a very strange relationship with the film and Maarummudan theeram kamanne that is what makes it so interesting. It does not spoon-feed the audience, it is not written for Shiney’s character, or Chitrangada’s Therathallum theeram talathallum thalam character, it is just like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in its tempera- Thallam polinjeappo nerum veluthe... ment, which is based on a poem by Ghalib, and it revolves around a poetic idea. That is the beauty of poetry.” Meenayalum kori edukam Swanand doesn’t see himself as a poet necessarily, “I have Manayalum poye pidikkam written so many songs now, so it makes me a songwriter. But I Kaadayalum njanunndu povam don’t know what I am really. Sometimes I am a singer, sometimes Kadalayalum njanunndu erangam I am a songwriter, sometimes I am an actor.” Nor does he consider Urdu a mandatory language to transcend film lyrics into poetry. Kadum kadanne kadalum kadanne “If contemporary lyrics are being written in English and Hindi, Njanangenokumbo bhoomi karanje... that doesn’t mean that the quality of lyrics has fallen. The language depends upon context. Not all lyrics were excellent in the past, Translation: and not all lyrics are bad in present times. There is some good writing going on, beyond films, you get to hear them at these Sometimes one relates to happiness in brief illusory moments music festivals, there are people like Amitabh Bhattacharya and but the search for bliss is never ending... Piyush Mishra raising the bar,” he claims with comfortable hu- mility. “For instance, for Munnabhai I had to write a song about The twinkling stars flicker - little oil lamps in the sky that I see Gandhi, in Munnabhai language, and we came up with Bande Mein Tha Dum which became very popular.” Every director brings something new out of him - “Pradeep Sarkar is a visual director who translates the imagery in my song onto film - Piyu Bole had the line Ek Nadi Se Maine Poocha which was actually shot on the river, to Rajkumar Hirani for whom every song is a story on its own, to Sudhir Mishra who brings out the darker side of life.” MEN O N AY

And then there are others, whom he doesn’t mind working for y A J either, “Give them a hook phrase, and they don’t even look for the o graph b antara. You have complete freedom!” he jokes, his eyes twinkling. t

(You can stream Baawra Mann at http://tiny.cc/ey6kxw.) i a l . ph o av

firstcitydelhi.com June 2013 FirstCity 31 FirstCity Column up in one sentence... Sometimes one relates to happiness in And one of the strangest things that have brief illusory moments but the search for bliss is never-ending. happened during some of our shows is rain, We had the structure of this song ready and we approached our friend and lyricist Sudhi Velamanoor. We gave him a brief idea and that too at the most unexpected times. about the song and then he came up with these beautiful lyrics. There have been more than a couple of We then finalised the melody and everything just fell in to place. That’s what happens with almost all of our songs.” incidents when we played one of our songs While working on their first album, Avial did attempt to Karukara (a folk song welcoming the rains) dabble in English lyrics but then they decided to stick to what and it started raining afterwards. One of felt true to them, and that is the advice they would give aspiring lyricists as well - to find inspiration within life around. “We had our recent shows in Cochin got washed out a few melodies with us and we were sure in our heads that we just after we played that song, and this too wanted pure (folk) Malayalam in our songs, because our writing has to be true. It could be complex or simple but the message in March! has to come across. And originality is also very important. We’ve travelled a lot but we are from Kerala, so most of the ideas come from here. The place, the nature, the people and the politics. Our from the ground below. The blue-grey sky, the wind, it speaks own inspiration has come from a lot of places, but mostly from to me again and all seems clear the place we grew up in and the things around us.” I trudge across hills hoping to reach some place Their musical influences are wide and varied, and ideas are I look back only to realise that I am back to where I began first teased out by melody before being completed by words. “There are a lot of favourites when it comes to songwriters. Right Like a beach looking for a wave from older ones to the contemporary ones, there are so many My search has taken me across oceans deep and wide of them whom we have followed and been influenced by. Bob The night has fallen and the tide has risen Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Mustaine, John Now the seashore is enveloped in a warm embrace Petrucci to name a few. Though there is no particular ritual that we follow while writing, we might have a guitar riff or a tune, Waves crash the shore like pounding arteries in my head from which an idea or a subject comes out. Then, when the idea It’s daybreak again and along with sunrise comes a renewed hope takes a good shape, it’s followed by words. We don’t really sit and that all is within reach... write most of the time. The topics mostly just come out from our music.” Their biggest hit to date was also their first single, The slippery fish can be caught and it too followed a similar creative process. “The first song The elusive deer can be trapped that we wrote was Nada Nada, and incidentally enough, it also The repositories of ancient trees can be traversed became a catchphrase of sorts as people started calling us the And the oceans can be crossed Nada Nada band! We came up with the idea and wanted to use the word Nada, which means ‘walk’ in Malayalam. Our friend Across hills and vales the horizon is but only a mirage begging Engandiyur Chandrashekaran came up with the lyrics and the to make sense... hook Nada Nada just worked for us.” Words are powerful, “and one of the strangest things that have irst City talks to Malayali Alternative Rock band happened during some of our shows is rain, and that too at the Avial - that takes its name from a Kerala dish made most unexpected times. There have been more than a couple of with a mixture of vegetables - a band that has been incidents when we played one of our songs Karukara (a folk song reinventing folk for a rock-friendly crowd for over a welcoming the rains) and it started raining afterwards. One of decade. The current line-up of the band consists of our recent shows in Cochin got washed out just after we played FTony John (vocals), Rex Vijayan (guitar), Mithun Puthanveetil that song, and this too in March!” Avial is known for throwing (drums), and Binny Isaac (bass). caution to the wind and doing their own thing, especially when Having performed live across the world, Avial’s music tran- it comes to lyrics; although they always write in Malayalam, their scends all disparity as their songs are rooted in folk culture, often fan base spans many more languages, countries, and cultures. nature-driven and a powerful critique of society and polity; Aadu “We were sure about this. Not about the success we would Pambe talks about the exploitation of local tribes, whereas songs achieve, but about what we wanted to do. We always wanted to like Chekela, Karukara and Arikuruka are folk poems. The folk sing in Malayalam and we decided to blend folk music with rock element in their songs comes mainly through the deeply evoca- music. We knew it was going to be tough to break through but tive yet abstract lyrics written in old folk Malayalam. As Tony fortunately for us, it happened.” tells us, “One particular song which is very close to our heart is Ettam Pattu, from our first album.” The song is among their Lyrics and Translation Courtesy Avial lesser known ones, softer and mellower in approach, emphatic words lilting off the tongue, attempting to convey a bittersweet (You can stream Ettam Pattu at http://www.youtube.com/ universal conundrum. “The theme of the song can be summed watch?v=0fnfFz2v6e4.)

32 FirstCity June 2013 MEN O N AY y A J o graph b t i a l . ph o av

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