There was a time when tracks like Mehendi Te Vavi, Pankhida Tu and Dholi Taaro were enjoyed in their original form. However, according to event organisers, “Trends change over time, and people’s choice in music varies too. Over the past two years, dandiya revelers in Jaipur have been demanding fusion music. In that case, progressive rock bands and those who infuse Indian instruments with electronic and rock influences become our first choice.” It’s a win-win situation for Jaipur-based rock bands, who say that such a vast platform not only helps them earn money, but also showcase their talent to a bigger audience.
WE EVEN HAVE A PUNJABI RAPPER PERFORMING IN DANDIYA NIGHTS: MAHAKAAL BAND
Members of Mahakaal band
Mahakaal, a Jaipur-based six-member Hindi progressive rock band, has been performing at dandiya nights for the past two years. This time too, the band is slat ed to perform at a couple of dandiya nights to be held in the city. Prashant Saxena, vocalist and manager of the band, tells us, “Initially, we agreed to play at garba nights in Jaipur because we wanted publicity and a platform to showcase our music. We were not even paid by many organisers. Nevertheless, the response that we got from people was overwhelming. Usually , at such nights, we change the pattern of the songs; they are patterned on four by four beats. Since we are a rock band, we try to infuse an element of rock in every song we play . We also have a rapper in our band – Varun Kumar – who raps in Punjabi. It is unusual to hear a Punjabi rap at a dandiya night. This makes our performance unique.”
He adds, “If dance forms are being experimented with there’s salsa garba and cha cha cha dandiya- why not music? There are people who come to dandiya nights, but don’t know how to play it.In this case, fusion music helps. I feel, the best part about having a band at such nights is that we develop a rapport with the audience; we interact with them and make the whole evening lively .” Ask them about the dress code that they follow at such events, Prashant says, “We don’t wear ethnic clothes unless the organiser asks us to. We go there as members of a rock band.”
ORGANISERS TELL US THAT ROCKS BANDS ARE A CROWD-PULLER: ROCK & UNPLUGGED BAND
One of the members of Rock & Unplugged band
Sonu Parihar, vocalist and guitarist of band Rock & Unplugged, who too have performed at garba nights last year, shares that the reason behind inviting rock bands at dandiya nights is that the show becomes a crowd-puller. He says, “Orchestra at dandiya nights are passe. By having a rock band, the show becomes a big crowdpuller. When a rock band is performing, it inspires the younger generation to play dandiya. The event organisers tell us, `Jab band aata hai toh young crowd zyada aata hai.’ We merge the elements from folk dance numbers with basic elements of rock and even reggae music.’ Unlike Mahakaal Band, Sonu says that whenever they perform at such events, they wear a kurta with a Nehru jacket. “It is a traditional festival so we wear kurta and jeans,” he says.
WE DON’T DO ANYTHING VULGAR IN THE NAME OF FUSION MUSIC: DINO BANJARA & FUSION BAND
Dino Banjara, founder of Dino Banjara & Fusion Band
Dino Banjara, the founder of Dino Banjara & Fusion Band, says, “My troupe has been performing at such nights for the past three years. Initially, even we were hesitant as we are into Sufi rock. We took this up as a challenge; all we had to do was follow the garba rhythm. We also fused Rajasthani folk with that of Gujarati folk numbers. Thankfully, people loved our performance. We get a lot of invites from housing societies. With changing times, dandiya is being fused with western elements and I see no harm in it. We don’t do anything vulgar in the name of fusion music and try to maintain the sanctity of this age-old tradition.”
Source : timesofindia
