This weekend, eight acts comprising female musicians will render folk and fusion performances at the Paddy Fields extravaganza. It certainly promises to be a festival with a difference.
Check out the line-up. The opening day will feature Sonam Kalra & The Sufi Gospel Project from New Delhi; followed by Susheela Raman, who will render melodies from Tamil Nadu. Violinist-singer Sunita Bhuyan will present Assamese folk and the Nooran Sisters, Jyoti and Sultana will have Sufi and Punjabi music.
The second evening will have Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand tunes by Shubha Mudgal. There will be Bhojpuri songs by Kalpana Patowary and Khasi folk by Tipriti Kharbangar, known popularly as lead singer of Shillong blues band Soulmate. Finally, Sona Mohapatra will render an Oriya repertoire.
This is the second edition of Paddy Fields, organised by Nesco and curated by Turnkey Music & Publishing. Last year's event had featured the Colonial Cousins, Mame Khan, Nooran Sisters, Papon, Chaar Yaar, Gangadhar & Tulika, Dhruv Ghanekar's Voyage and Salim-Sulaiman.
Why an all-women festival this time? “Last year, the focus was more on fusion,” explains Turnkey managing director Atul Churamani. “This time we wanted to get folk songs from various parts of the country and give them a new twist.” Churamani says the general impression is that most Indian folk music is sung by men. “But actually, folk music is based on stories, most of which are narrated by women,” he adds. “So we thought about it and the idea seemed good.” The popularity of the Nooran Sisters last year made them an obvious choice this time. “The other singers seemed highly excited by the idea, and things fell into place,” says Churamani.
Last year, music was the sole and primary focus so this year, the scale expands with other build-up activities. To begin with, the Big Music Highway show was launched by Big FM. Hosted by RJ Siddharth, it features interviews with and performances by folk and fusion acts. Secondly, 18 songs were recorded by various artistes, including Lesle Lewis, Chaar Yaar, Deepa Nair Rasiya, Mame Khan, Kutle Khan, Kharbangar, Bhuyan, Peak Level and Aabha Hanjura. Lewis has produced 10 of them, and a variety of Indian languages have been used. The songs are available in two compilations on various digital platforms. “The motive was to create a buzz around folk-fusion as a genre,” says Churamani. “We see many of these performers in concerts and on television, but here we are offering a common platform to bring music from different states together.” The idea really seems promising. This weekend should be special.
Paddy Fields festival will take place on October 7 and 8 at Bombay Exhibition Center Nesco, Goregaon East. Check bookmyshow.com
