Mumbai: Hip hop meets folk in this performance by Uttarakhand's female voices

Why are women missing from Indiarsquos music scene mdash Itrsquos a question that propelled Andheribased rap artiste Krantinaari aka Ashwini Hiremath to traverse 47 regions across the country in search of female folk artistes has almost reached a point of culmination With less than a week to the first premiere of Sound of Women a grassroots music project helmed by Hiremath along with percussionist and singer Charu Hariharan under her company Folk Soul we delve into the stories that led to the songs in this oneofakind albumTaiji the eldest musician in the group also plays Hudka the folk drum of UttarakhandldquoNearly four years ago when the COVID19 restrictions had just been lifted I set out on a journey to understand why the participation of women in music is so sparse In urban setups at least allowing women to pursue a musical career that isnrsquot focused on classical music warrants all sorts of reactions from people The lack of audience for female artistes as compared to their male counterparts often translates into paucity of opportunities too This is a whole different scene in rural pockets of the country thoughrdquo the 29year old rapper explainsThe mobile studio in which the albumrsquos tracks were producedDuring an artiste residency in Rajasthan back in 2022 Hiremath came across female artistes and musicians who werenrsquot allowed to touch musical instruments let alone explore their creative careers ldquoWomen are the drivers of culture and ethics in our society We all learn it from our mothers mdash this is where language becomes all the more important otherwise it would be all about one globalised identityrdquo Hiremath says Fuelled by a passion to make space for their voice she connected with Delhibased organisation Manzil Mystics and hopped on a mobile recording studio hurtling across the mountainous landscape of Uttarakhand to land up in Jeolikote finding a team of female musicians who have spearheaded the 17track album with HiremathHemanti Devi practises on a harmonuimHailing from different villages in the Kumaon region of the state folk musicians Kashti Devi Ganga Devi Hemanti Devi and Taiji are all magicians of their craft as Hariharan tells us ldquoIt is a wonderful warm feeling to work with women The feeling of compassion and fraternity that they brought to the project from helping each other with the music to putting in all the effort for the tracks even in a biting cold was beautiful to witness The entire idea was to provide a space to these brilliant artistes to express themselves freely and allow them the space to be vulnerable mdash which is integral to the creation of musicrdquo Hariharan the music producer of the project sharesThe musicians interact with each other during rehearsalExploring the folk culture of the region along with ideas that also talk about nature and education the tracks in the album provide reflections into the personal experiences of the artistes as well ldquoThere are stories of pain acceptance and politics that bind these songs together These emotions have carried the soul of the album The origins of hiphop often talk about a certain discomfort with onersquos situation be it poverty rejection or oppression Folk and hiphop in that sense are rooted in providing a space for expressing onersquos emotion or the navarasa as they call itrdquo Hiremath explainsAs the tracks transform into stories this Friday preceded by an exhibition where homegrown artistes from the city will host a market of visual art handmade textiles and natural beauty products mdash Hariharan and Hiremath along with the director of the show Neha Singh will attempt to reform certain old rules ldquoEconomic independence is one of the foremost values of liberation If through the project the artistes can move forward with their careers and become equal partners in their household then it will change the power dynamic for so many of them The entire project was all about cocreation and letting the heart sing Music is very empowering in this regardrdquo Hiremath concludesON May 16 3 pm onwardsAT G5A Warehouse G5A Laxmi Mills Estate Shakti Mills Lane Mahalaxmi WestLOG ON TO districtinEntry Rs 299atOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params