<p>Two bands will perform a fundraiser concert for flood-hit communities of Sikkim on Saturday.</p>.<p>Teesta Troupers will play at Lightning, an arts festival by Maraa. Following their performance, Gauley Bhai will take the stage. Both groups perform in Nepali.</p>.<p>The Sikkim floods were caused by a cloudburst in the Teesta river on October 4. A majority of the performers hail from localities along the river. Teesta Troupers comprises six up-and-coming musicians from Teesta Bazaar in Kalimpong and nearby areas along the north Bengal-Sikkim border highway. They perform multiple genres. Gauley Bhai is a folk rock quartet based in Bengaluru but three of its artistes hail from Kalimpong.</p>.<p>The fundraiser concert is in solidarity “for the musicians of Teesta by the musicians of Teesta,” says Veecheet Vigya Dhakal, lead singer and violinist of Gauley Bhai. “Teesta is a common link between us. Teesta is of immense importance in the region. It was even part of the Silk Route. But we have seen how deforestation and infrastructure projects have destroyed the ecology around it,” he says.</p>.<p>40 people have died in these flash floods, 76 have gone missing, and around 88,000 individuals have been impacted, including members of Teesta Troupers.</p>.<p>Veecheet shares, “The jam room where the group was formed is submerged. (Vocalist and songwriter) Ashish and his family are now living in a relief camp.”</p>.<p>The collaboration between the two music groups began last year. On a grant by India Foundation for the Arts, Gauley Bhai had conducted a series of music workshops at Teesta Bazaar. “We met the members of Teesta Troupers there. One is a mechanic, one is part of a rescue team at tourist sites, another works in a medicine manufacturing unit and another at a railway construction site. But they all have musical talent. They can cover genres like rap, folk and contemporary pop,” says Veecheet.</p>.<p>Their songs are rooted in their realities. Teesta has dried up but who is accountable for its misery — this is the essence of a track titled ‘Teesta ko khola suki sake cha’. Songs like ‘System cha kharab’, ‘Janta pareshan’, and ‘Jiuna bhayo garo’ talk of government apathy and public frustration.</p>.<p>“They will perform these songs at the Bengaluru concert. Plus, Gauley Bhai is collaborating with them by producing, mixing and mastering these songs. We intend to release the songs in the coming months but we are in need of funds,” <br>says Veecheet.</p>.<p><em>Lightning on October 21, 7 pm, at Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore, Indirangar. Entry free.</em></p>
<p>Two bands will perform a fundraiser concert for flood-hit communities of Sikkim on Saturday.</p>.<p>Teesta Troupers will play at Lightning, an arts festival by Maraa. Following their performance, Gauley Bhai will take the stage. Both groups perform in Nepali.</p>.<p>The Sikkim floods were caused by a cloudburst in the Teesta river on October 4. A majority of the performers hail from localities along the river. Teesta Troupers comprises six up-and-coming musicians from Teesta Bazaar in Kalimpong and nearby areas along the north Bengal-Sikkim border highway. They perform multiple genres. Gauley Bhai is a folk rock quartet based in Bengaluru but three of its artistes hail from Kalimpong.</p>.<p>The fundraiser concert is in solidarity “for the musicians of Teesta by the musicians of Teesta,” says Veecheet Vigya Dhakal, lead singer and violinist of Gauley Bhai. “Teesta is a common link between us. Teesta is of immense importance in the region. It was even part of the Silk Route. But we have seen how deforestation and infrastructure projects have destroyed the ecology around it,” he says.</p>.<p>40 people have died in these flash floods, 76 have gone missing, and around 88,000 individuals have been impacted, including members of Teesta Troupers.</p>.<p>Veecheet shares, “The jam room where the group was formed is submerged. (Vocalist and songwriter) Ashish and his family are now living in a relief camp.”</p>.<p>The collaboration between the two music groups began last year. On a grant by India Foundation for the Arts, Gauley Bhai had conducted a series of music workshops at Teesta Bazaar. “We met the members of Teesta Troupers there. One is a mechanic, one is part of a rescue team at tourist sites, another works in a medicine manufacturing unit and another at a railway construction site. But they all have musical talent. They can cover genres like rap, folk and contemporary pop,” says Veecheet.</p>.<p>Their songs are rooted in their realities. Teesta has dried up but who is accountable for its misery — this is the essence of a track titled ‘Teesta ko khola suki sake cha’. Songs like ‘System cha kharab’, ‘Janta pareshan’, and ‘Jiuna bhayo garo’ talk of government apathy and public frustration.</p>.<p>“They will perform these songs at the Bengaluru concert. Plus, Gauley Bhai is collaborating with them by producing, mixing and mastering these songs. We intend to release the songs in the coming months but we are in need of funds,” <br>says Veecheet.</p>.<p><em>Lightning on October 21, 7 pm, at Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore, Indirangar. Entry free.</em></p>