Gaana to the fore

Pa Ranjith’s The Casteless Collective brings in rappers from Dharavi to regale Chennai’s music lovers

Rap, rock and the ever-popular gaana come together in Kilpauk this Saturday. A concert organised by Neelam Cultural Centre will throw open for stage to artistes of these genres.

The Centre is the performance platform of The Casteless Collective, an initiative by filmmaker Pa Ranjith to train the spotlight on the hitherto-ignored music of the masses.

In collaboration with Madras Records and with the support of music producer Tenma, the collective aims to bring as many independent, street-music voices together as possible.

Which is why the choice of genres is a pretty deliberate one. In the words of member Jeny Dolly, “We see

gaana as what rap is for the African-American community: music used to tell your own stories.”

Reclaiming their own narrative seems to be the spirit behind the movement as a whole, and what better way to showcase it than with a confluence of three forms of music that embody that spirit? “We are trying to combine rock and rap and gaana here,” explains Dolly. The stars of Saturday’s concert will be young rap artistes from the slums of Dharavi, Mumbai, as well as traditional gaana artistes, some of whom have already begun making their mark in Tamil cinema. The intention is to give this genre — which has always been a people’s favourite — the wider recognition it deserves. “There are so many spaces in Chennai for Carnatic music. But gaana , which has been around for much longer, is not something people usually associate Madras with. Most people see it as the city of Carnatic music and filter coffee,” rues Dolly.

It is this shortcoming that the collective is trying to correct, not only by providing a platform for

gaana , but also by ensuring that is accessible to everyone. Which is why there are no tickets required for this particular concert, and members of various political parties have been invited, “because music should have no boundaries.”

The Casteless Collective - Music Concert will be held at CSI Bains Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ormes Road, Kilpauk on Saturday, January 6 from 5 pm onwards. All are welcome.