This Friday, hip-hop will meet with folk in a special performance that will bring the stories and the sounds of Uttarakhand’s female voices to the fore
Charu Hariharan (in yellow) and Ashwini Hiremath (in purple) with (from left) Ganga Devi, Kashti Devi, Taiji and Hemanti Devi. Pics courtesy/Mansi Nene
Why are women missing from India’s music scene? — It’s a question that propelled Andheri-based rap artiste Krantinaari aka Ashwini Hiremath to traverse 47 regions across the country in search of female folk artistes has almost reached a point of culmination. With less than a week to the first premiere of Sound of Women, a grassroots music project helmed by Hiremath along with percussionist and singer Charu Hariharan under her company Folk Soul, we delve into the stories that led to the songs in this one-of-a-kind album.
Taiji, the eldest musician in the group also plays Hudka, the folk drum of Uttarakhand
“Nearly four years ago, when the COVID-19 restrictions had just been lifted, I set out on a journey to understand why the participation of women in music is so sparse. In urban setups at least, allowing women to pursue a musical career that isn’t focused on classical music, warrants all sorts of reactions from people. The lack of audience for female artistes as compared to their male counterparts often translates into paucity of opportunities too. This is a whole different scene in rural pockets of the country though,” the 29-year old rapper explains.
The mobile studio in which the album’s tracks were produced
During an artiste residency in Rajasthan back in 2022, Hiremath came across female artistes and musicians who weren’t allowed to touch musical instruments, let alone explore their creative careers. “Women are the drivers of culture and ethics in our society. We all learn it from our mothers — this is where language becomes all the more important, otherwise it would be all about one globalised identity,” Hiremath says. Fuelled by a passion to make space for their voice, she connected with Delhi-based organisation, Manzil Mystics and hopped on a mobile recording studio, hurtling across the mountainous landscape of Uttarakhand to land up in Jeolikote, finding a team of female musicians who have spearheaded the 17-track album with Hiremath.
Hemanti Devi practises on a harmonuim
Hailing from different villages in the Kumaon region of the state, folk musicians Kashti Devi, Ganga Devi, Hemanti Devi and Taiji are all magicians of their craft, as Hariharan tells us. “It is a wonderful, warm feeling to work with women. The feeling of compassion and fraternity that they brought to the project, from helping each other with the music to putting in all the effort for the tracks even in a biting cold was beautiful to witness. The entire idea was to provide a space to these brilliant artistes to express themselves freely and allow them the space to be vulnerable — which is integral to the creation of music,” Hariharan, the music producer of the project, shares.
The musicians interact with each other during rehearsal
Exploring the folk culture of the region along with ideas that also talk about nature and education, the tracks in the album provide reflections into the personal experiences of the artistes as well. “There are stories of pain, acceptance and politics that bind these songs together. These emotions have carried the soul of the album. The origins of hip-hop often talk about a certain discomfort with one’s situation, be it poverty, rejection or oppression. Folk and hip-hop in that sense, are rooted in providing a space for expressing one’s emotion, or the navarasa as they call it,” Hiremath explains.
As the tracks transform into stories this Friday, preceded by an exhibition where homegrown artistes from the city will host a market of visual art, handmade textiles and natural beauty products — Hariharan and Hiremath along with the director of the show, Neha Singh will attempt to reform certain old rules. “Economic independence is one of the foremost values of liberation. If through the project, the artistes can move forward with their careers, and become equal partners in their household, then it will change the power dynamic for so many of them. The entire project was all about co-creation and letting the heart sing. Music is very empowering in this regard,” Hiremath concludes.
ON May 16; 3 pm onwards
AT G5A Warehouse, G5/A, Laxmi Mills Estate, Shakti Mills Lane, Mahalaxmi West.
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Entry Rs 299
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