Bhakti music, Lennon-style

The lines between the artiste and the audience were blurred at MadRasana’s ROOTS, a contemporary music concert held at the Alliance Française of Madras over the weekend. The crowd extended from inches away from the musicians all the way back to the last row of seats; the Vedanth Bharadwaj- Bindhumalini duo and band Poorvaa’s rendition of poems by medieval saint/poets like Kabir and Arunagirinathar was enough to ensure a house-full.

The concert was performed in three sets, one by each group and the third a collaboration. Opening the show was Bharadwaj with a song, ‘Nirbhaya Nirgun’, from their album Suno Bhai. The gravitas in Bharadwaj’s strong voice was evident in the way he threw it across the hall as he brought Kabir’s poem ‘Jhini Chadariya’ to life. Kabir, himself a weaver, alluded to God as the weaver of human skin, and our obligation to keep the skin as pure as we were given. “I have been singing this song for many years but I understood its meaning only recently: we were changing houses, and my mother said, ‘We need to leave this house as we got it’,” revealed Bharadwaj.

On the other hand, Bindhumalini initially showed restraint in her singing, with a voice so deceptively gentle, that you feel you could cup it in your palm. Deceptive, because as the evening progressed, she demonstrated her full vocal range. When one sang, the other sat with their eyes closed, as if in a trance. The two took turns to play the guitar and the banjo, which had a significantly reduced twang.

In the second act, Poorvaa snapped us out of the peaceful — if solemn — atmosphere, with an off-hand style and banter with the audience between songs. Lead singer Pradeep Kumar requested the house lights be turned on, making the settingmore intimate. He was accompanied by Sean Rolden on the ukulele, Susha Raju on the cajon — also wearing a ghungru for additional melody — and Shallu Varun on the upright bass. The songs, based on the works of Arunagirinathar, seemed improvised on spot, despite each note being hit perfectly.

They focused more on instrumental solos — the ukulele stealing all the thunder — and vocalising and scatting more than singing. “This is the first time we are performing these songs to an audience like this. Before this, we’d just be jamming at Pradeep’s house,” says Roldan.

One of the most interesting pieces of the evening was by Bhardwaj. In ‘Bhajjo re Bhaiyya’, he arranged the 15th Century verses to emulate the classic ‘60s rock music feel, ending with a fast-strumming flourish. In another song, he set the words to the chords of ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. As eclectic as the song combinations were, the audience was even more so, from people flaunting their afro hair, coloured hair extensions and ripped jeans to youngsters in veshtis and old ladies in silk sarees. Sartorial choices aside, all one needed was a good ear for music to enjoy the evening.

The proceeds from the concert went to the Chennai Children’s choir to fund their performance at Serenade Festival in Washington in June. To donate, visit ketto.org