Bonding over folk music

If you want to explore your roots through music, then you can join a Facebook group called Food, Friends and Folk Music, which is all about bonding with friends over good food and folk music.

If you want to explore your roots through music, then you can join a Facebook group called Food, Friends and Folk Music, which is all about bonding with friends over good food and folk music.

Started by film professionals Anupama Bose, Gurpal Singh and Rohit Sharma in Mumbai a few months ago, the group, with 438 members, organises folk acts in gatherings of 30-40 people at a particular member’s home.

The group’s Delhi chapter will have its first musical event this weekend that will see a performance by folk singer Kaluram Bamniya and his troupe from Malwa, Madhya Pradesh. “The same group will perform across three locations in the city — Noida, Delhi and Gurgaon — to divide the crowd and skip the pain of travelling long distances,” says Gurpal Singh, one of the coordinators. The group plans to invite musicians from Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat over the coming months.

“In big cities like Mumbai and Delhi, we tend to get cut off from folk tunes. Our only connection with such music is through a filtered down filmy version of it. We want to reconnect to the music of our land,” says Bose.

Folk music can range from being funny, satirical and traditional to serious, issue-based and modern. “The music often talks about current issues like rights of the girl child, education, relationships, changing seasons and lifestyles,” says Nihaal Parashar, 24, a member of the group who wants to reconnect to his roots through Bhojpuri folk music.

Those interested in folk music and dance can join the group’s page on Facebook. Each member can pay Rs 500 or more as contribution for food and arranging for the folk artists.

Catch it live
What: Folk music weekend
When: April 13-15
Timing: 7pm
Where: Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon. For venue details, call Noida — 9818798636, South Delhi — 9873810324, Gurgaon — 9818261919
Entry: Rs 500 per person

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