Brought up in Daltonganj, Jharkhand, singer Megha Sriram Dalton first attracted attention with her performance on the MTV show, Coke Studio in 2011. In a medley comprising the songs ‘ Dheere Dheere ’, ‘ Nazar Barchi ’, ‘ Aa Ra Ra Ra ’ and ‘ Jani Mani Kya Fayison ’, she sang about four situations in a woman’s life. Two years ago, she recorded ‘ Ke Hukam Diya ’ on the compilation, Music From The Paddy Fields.
This weekend, Dalton will along with a group of Adivasi musicians from Jharkhand pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi this weekend. Part of NCPA’s 50th year celebrations, the event, ‘Johar Gandhibaba: Celebrating 150 Years of Mahatma Gandhi’ will include songs in five languages as well as presentations by senior journalists and writers Rajni Bakshi and Vishwanath Sachdev. The five languages are Awadhi, Kurukh, Sadri, Magahi and Khortha, which are spoken in different parts of Jharkhand. “This is where the commentary, in Hindi and English, will play an important role,” explains Dalton.
Dalton says there are many followers of Gandhi among Adivasis in Jharkhand. She points out, “Some old-timers even remember the time he visited the region and talked about ahimsa . I discovered that there are many good singers within the community, and that they followed the principles of Gandhiji.” The concert will feature traditional songs set to music by Dalton. Instruments like the nagada , madaal and bansuri will be prominent. Dalton adds, “The Adivasis also used a lot of obsolete instruments, but sadly there are no players today. So I have used a keyboard to bring in the desired effect,” she shares.
While studying at BCC Mission School in Daltonganj, Dalton started learning music at the age of 11. “Though I had no ambition of becoming a singer, my parents and teachers encouraged me, and I later went to the Benaras Hindu University. Somewhere down the line, I got involved with Hindi theatre and loved it. But I kept looking for opportunities to sing,” she recalls.
Dalton got her first break in Manish Jha’s 2007 film Anwar with the song ‘ Bangla Khula Khula Remix’. For Coke Studio she was one of the accompanying singers on Shankar Mahadevan’s ‘ Jiya Laage Na ’, which led to the four-part medley. In 2013, she co-produced and sang in The Lost Behrupiya , directed by her husband Sriram Dalton. The film won a National Award for Best Arts/ Cultural Film.
“Not much is known about [the effect of] the Mahatma’s struggles on the lives of the tribal community of Jharkhand. This programme is very relevant in today’s day and age,” asserts Dalton. The singer-composer began working with the Adivasis in Jharkhand five years ago. “I did a lot of research, especially on their passion for Gandhi. I learnt a lot from them,” she says.
Johar Gandhibaba: Celebrating 150 Years of the Mahatma, will take place on July 6 at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA at 6.30 p.m.; more details at bookmyshow.com
