Hindustani vocalist turns to Bhojpuri folk tune to celebrate monsoon

Hindustani vocalist Vidya Shah strongly believes that music is connected to everything. In her latest song, ‘Siyaah — Chhayi ghata ghanghor’, she pays homage to the handloom weavers of India. “The weavers often sing while weaving and this way they are connected to music,” the Delhi-based singer says. 

The song is part of the album ‘Humsaaz’, which also features songs by other noted artistes such as Swanand Kirkire, Sonam Kalra and Ananyaa Gaur.

In ‘Siyaah — Chhayi ghata ghanghor’, Vidya sings about the beauty of the monsoon. “It celebrates the darkness of the clouds. It talks about a woman waiting for a lover who refuses to come,” she explains. The track is a soulful kajri, a Bhojpuri folk song. The song was recorded in a couple of hours, she tells DHonSaturday.

Vidya grew up in Delhi of the ’70s in a south Indian household where “cultural pursuits were the norm”. She was initially trained in Karnatik music. “A teacher would come home to train me. It was a beautiful experience,” she recalls. She was 12 when she began training. 

But years later, she would reconsider her options. “Karnatik music is great
and I continue to return to it now and again, but I love the leisurely nature of Hindustani music and the way it sounds. So I began training under Shubha Mudgal,” she shares. 

While the raag is similar in both traditions, the approaches are different. So the strong foundation in Karnatik music helped her when she made the switch. The concepts of timing and taal are different, for instance. “In Hindustani, they are more drawn out,” Vidya explains. In Karnatik music, the varnams are great for solo practice, she says, adding that she often returns to it but has not performed it publicly in decades.

The genre has an element of repetition and Vidya strives to make the music her own whenever she performs. “Most of my performances come with an element of a story or concept,” says Vidya, who performs an eclectic range of genres such as thumri, ghazal, khayal and bhajan. She is also collaborating with an experimental jazz musician, and a Spanish musician who is attempting to revive the zanfona, a Medieval stringed instrument.

One of Vidya’s most noteworthy works is the exhibition and concert titled ‘Women on record’. She paid homage to women musicians from the gramophone era by performing their music. “It has been a great experience travelling with it to multiple cities,” she states. 

She is currently working on a series of essays about women in early theatre and talkies. “It will cover genres like nautanki and Parsi theatre,” she reveals, adding that the collection will be out by Women’s Day next year.