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Indian independent music has got a leg-up with a print magazine dedicated to the genre
A page from the magazine that A Humming Heart has published
Have you noticed how Indian independent music has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade? If you have, have you also noticed how there are only a precious few publications in this country that document this rise in print? Congratulations on holding one (and check out mid-day’s e-paper as well). But now, there’s another print platform. A Humming Heart (AHH), a Delhi-based initiative that has been tracking under-the-radar musicians online, has launched a print magazine that is dedicated to the cause of giving those same artistes a leg-up.
They need it, the artistes. Music media in India is so centred on mainstream commercial music that people like bedroom-music producers live in the shadows. This magazine is one step forward in giving them the recognition that they deserve.
This year’s issue features a full-fledged interview with Dot, for example. Dot (mark these words) is an Indian songstress in her early twenties who is likely to get global recognition for the talent she embodies. She’s based in Wales at the moment. But the magazine is not just about straight-up reviews and interviews. “There are also puzzles and word-search games [themed on Indian indie music],” says Sukanya Agrawal, who co-founded AHH along with Aakriti Mehrotra and Joseph Sebastian, adding that their magazine will be printed annually.
That means that once every year, you will get to hold a tangible product that promotes an amorphous art form — music. Not commercial music. You can bet your last paisa that the AHH print magazine will never feature, say, a Punjabi rap sensation or a teenage pop favourite. Instead, if you buy a copy, you will get to know about an artiste you’d probably never heard of before. Read all about it, because they deserve to be heard.
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