<p>During the last few years, there is a resurgence of folk forms of music in the South. Bands like Swarathma and Raghu Dixit Project have experimented with folk forms and have received wide acclaim. La Pongal of Chennai is experimenting with the folk music of Tamil Nadu.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“This is not a passing fad. It is a good sign for independent music in India, and I’m sure that this is just a start of a big evolution in contemporary Indian music. This can only grow upwards from here. It’s high time people started getting exposed to newer sounds from India. <br /><br />I am glad that more and more musicians and bands are looking at having an Indian identity to their sound than just being an Indian replica of a famous band from the West. This also helps in putting Indian independent bands on the music map,” says Darbuka Siva, a multi-percussionist and La Pongal’s founder.<br /><br />More than a band, La Pongal is a platform for folk music that is continuously exploring indigenous and traditional forms of art. Traditional styles of music gave birth to many new expressions, but the original remained deeply ingrained in the culture and people of its area. Designing different kinds of collaborations between folk forms and musicians, it is La Pongal’s vision to bring the rustic folk styles and the experimental contemporary styles together.<br /><br />Says Siva, “There are musical influences from all parts of the world in our music. There are elements of Afro-Cuban music, a bit of Latin music, Rock ’n Roll, Funk and also Blues. But those are all just subtle influences and do not take away the authenticity of traditional folk music. The percentage of influences I allow in a traditional song is something I’m very careful about. Too much can just mess the very root of the song.”<br /><br />Mass appeal<br /><br />Tamil folk music, after being relegated as B-grade affair during the 60s and 70s, got a massive fillip when Ilaiyaraaja entered the scene in 1975. Raja’s brand of filmy folk music was true to its roots and was enhanced for mass appeal.<br /><br />Nothing describes Tamil culture and tradition in a single word than ‘Pongal’, which is not only the most important festival, but also a wholesome dish of rice and dal. A decade ago, Siva was inspired by the aroma of the steaming pongal from the earthen pots, along with the beats of the thapaatam and nayyandi melam, accompanied by traditional folk lyrics.<br /><br />In 2007, he conceived La Pongal to bring folk music into the limelight. Siva met several folk musicians including Anthony Daasan, a folk singer from Thanjavur, at a folk music festival called Chennai Sangamam in 2007. Daasan came on board La Pongal.<br /><br /> He was also exposed to folk through the film music scores of composer Ilaiyaraaja and influenced by world musicians like Baaba Maal, Youssou N’Dour, Cheb Mami and Khaled among others. His mastery over darbuka, the Middle Eastern hand drum, gave him his moniker. Siva made trips to villages in Tamil Nadu to research on folk music.<br /><br />Siva and Vijay (a trained classical singer) are constants in La Pongal, Daasan joins them when he isn’t touring with his own folk music troupe, and Siva invites folk percussionists from various parts of Tamil Nadu.<br /><br />Collaborative effort<br /><br />“The core idea of La Pongal is collaboration. Therefore, I don’t like to call it a band and prefer to term it a platform for folk music. Every show is a new project for us. We have folk musicians coming from different parts of Tamil Nadu who collaborate with contemporary and urban musicians. We don’t have a fixed line-up of musicians for all the shows. I think that’s why it’s interesting. Each show has a different sound depending on the musicians we are working with. For me, it is boring to work with the same musicians, doing the same song, in the same way, every time,” says Siva.<br /><br />La Pongal’s first show was at Chennai’s YMCA, which was a hit with the audience. In five years, La Pongal has performed at many music festivals across the country, besides Singapore. It also made waves at the maiden MAD festival in Ooty in May this year.<br /><br />Their repertoire is formidable and is showcased in their self-titled album of 11 tracks, launched in Malaysia in July. This album is a reflection of Tamil culture, its people, their lives, their stories, joy, sorrow and pain. It features 70 folk musicians from different parts of Tamil Nadu. Some of the prominent artistes include Antony Daasan, Pradeep Vijay, Karthik Das Baul, Bonnie Chakraborty and Neil Mukherjee. It includes handpicked sounds from various traditional Tamil folk arts like Naiyyaandi Melam, Karagaattam, Themmangu, Devar Aattam, Thaalaattu, Kuravan Kurathi, Thappattam (Parai Aattam), Thudumbattam and Periya Melam.<br /><br />Siva is a multi-tasker, taking care of the band’s management, album artwork and distribution and sound production. “My immediate plan is to showcase Tamil folk music and musicians and perform in as many cities as possible and reach this music to different cultures. But very soon I want to travel to different countries to trace out authentic folk musicians and collaborate with them. La pongal will soon become a nomadic platform which goes around searching for interesting sounds and musicians,” adds Siva.<br /></p>
<p>During the last few years, there is a resurgence of folk forms of music in the South. Bands like Swarathma and Raghu Dixit Project have experimented with folk forms and have received wide acclaim. La Pongal of Chennai is experimenting with the folk music of Tamil Nadu.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“This is not a passing fad. It is a good sign for independent music in India, and I’m sure that this is just a start of a big evolution in contemporary Indian music. This can only grow upwards from here. It’s high time people started getting exposed to newer sounds from India. <br /><br />I am glad that more and more musicians and bands are looking at having an Indian identity to their sound than just being an Indian replica of a famous band from the West. This also helps in putting Indian independent bands on the music map,” says Darbuka Siva, a multi-percussionist and La Pongal’s founder.<br /><br />More than a band, La Pongal is a platform for folk music that is continuously exploring indigenous and traditional forms of art. Traditional styles of music gave birth to many new expressions, but the original remained deeply ingrained in the culture and people of its area. Designing different kinds of collaborations between folk forms and musicians, it is La Pongal’s vision to bring the rustic folk styles and the experimental contemporary styles together.<br /><br />Says Siva, “There are musical influences from all parts of the world in our music. There are elements of Afro-Cuban music, a bit of Latin music, Rock ’n Roll, Funk and also Blues. But those are all just subtle influences and do not take away the authenticity of traditional folk music. The percentage of influences I allow in a traditional song is something I’m very careful about. Too much can just mess the very root of the song.”<br /><br />Mass appeal<br /><br />Tamil folk music, after being relegated as B-grade affair during the 60s and 70s, got a massive fillip when Ilaiyaraaja entered the scene in 1975. Raja’s brand of filmy folk music was true to its roots and was enhanced for mass appeal.<br /><br />Nothing describes Tamil culture and tradition in a single word than ‘Pongal’, which is not only the most important festival, but also a wholesome dish of rice and dal. A decade ago, Siva was inspired by the aroma of the steaming pongal from the earthen pots, along with the beats of the thapaatam and nayyandi melam, accompanied by traditional folk lyrics.<br /><br />In 2007, he conceived La Pongal to bring folk music into the limelight. Siva met several folk musicians including Anthony Daasan, a folk singer from Thanjavur, at a folk music festival called Chennai Sangamam in 2007. Daasan came on board La Pongal.<br /><br /> He was also exposed to folk through the film music scores of composer Ilaiyaraaja and influenced by world musicians like Baaba Maal, Youssou N’Dour, Cheb Mami and Khaled among others. His mastery over darbuka, the Middle Eastern hand drum, gave him his moniker. Siva made trips to villages in Tamil Nadu to research on folk music.<br /><br />Siva and Vijay (a trained classical singer) are constants in La Pongal, Daasan joins them when he isn’t touring with his own folk music troupe, and Siva invites folk percussionists from various parts of Tamil Nadu.<br /><br />Collaborative effort<br /><br />“The core idea of La Pongal is collaboration. Therefore, I don’t like to call it a band and prefer to term it a platform for folk music. Every show is a new project for us. We have folk musicians coming from different parts of Tamil Nadu who collaborate with contemporary and urban musicians. We don’t have a fixed line-up of musicians for all the shows. I think that’s why it’s interesting. Each show has a different sound depending on the musicians we are working with. For me, it is boring to work with the same musicians, doing the same song, in the same way, every time,” says Siva.<br /><br />La Pongal’s first show was at Chennai’s YMCA, which was a hit with the audience. In five years, La Pongal has performed at many music festivals across the country, besides Singapore. It also made waves at the maiden MAD festival in Ooty in May this year.<br /><br />Their repertoire is formidable and is showcased in their self-titled album of 11 tracks, launched in Malaysia in July. This album is a reflection of Tamil culture, its people, their lives, their stories, joy, sorrow and pain. It features 70 folk musicians from different parts of Tamil Nadu. Some of the prominent artistes include Antony Daasan, Pradeep Vijay, Karthik Das Baul, Bonnie Chakraborty and Neil Mukherjee. It includes handpicked sounds from various traditional Tamil folk arts like Naiyyaandi Melam, Karagaattam, Themmangu, Devar Aattam, Thaalaattu, Kuravan Kurathi, Thappattam (Parai Aattam), Thudumbattam and Periya Melam.<br /><br />Siva is a multi-tasker, taking care of the band’s management, album artwork and distribution and sound production. “My immediate plan is to showcase Tamil folk music and musicians and perform in as many cities as possible and reach this music to different cultures. But very soon I want to travel to different countries to trace out authentic folk musicians and collaborate with them. La pongal will soon become a nomadic platform which goes around searching for interesting sounds and musicians,” adds Siva.<br /></p>
