JOIN US Watching this motley bunch of musicians is a not just an auditory experience but a visual one as well. Dressed in bright lungis and handloom kurtas they were a burst of colour. Ask Raghu about the look and he’ll tell you that it was perfected after many trials and much thought. The stage costumes add the touch of a rainbow to the deep, intense, poetry that characterises the lyrics of most of their songs.
The group began the evening with I still love you and went on to perform such hits as Ambar, Hey Bhagawan Tu Mujhe Zindagi Dubara De, Har Saas Aur Har Dhadkan Main Ho Tum and Soruthihudu Maneya Malige. The gathered crowd cheered the band on. An interactive and intimate set up allowed for casual banter between the artists and the audience. Adding anecdotes, birthday wishes, wedding announcements, and good humoured bullying to the act, the Raghu Dixit Project got the audiences involved.
“Being able to control the emotions of the people is the greatest high,” confessed Raghu and the band did just that. Singing in Hindi, Kannada, and English, part bossy, part self mocking, the band led the audiences through an emotional journey. The anklet tinkled in harmony. Raghu explained the wearing of the anklet as something that is part of the folk tradition of this country. He said that since his music stems from the folk space, the anklet fit right in.
Asked if he had enjoyed the performance, Raghu said that performing in Bangalore was always great but “we are really disappointed that the crowd is not allowed to stand up and dance,” he confessed. But the audience did not seem to mind that much. Clapping, joking, whistling, it looked like what a good time ought to look like. They even received autographed CDs.
Raghu also announced the launch of the newly revamped website raghudixit.com