Though Indian weddings are getting more opulent by the day, event planners take pride in fulfilling every fantasy and even turning the most bizarre client briefs into reality.
In this sea of change, one integral aspect that still remains strong despite facing strong completion from DJs is the brass band that accompanies the barat to the wedding.
Dressed in their glittery costumes that are often a size or two too big and carrying trombones, drums, cymbals, trumpets, and other instruments, they are the cheerleaders of any Indian wedding. They kick-start the celebration on the streets, build up the tempo till the venue and reach a crescendo when someone offers them money.
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Weddings however, are a seasonal phenomenon and can go from a few thousand on a good day to almost none for a few months. So what do these brass band players do off season and where do they suddenly spring into action from?
“Bajatey Raho”, an exhibition of photographs by Sujata Khanna, Vinit Gupta, Nirvair Singh Rai, Raj Lalwani, Richa Bhavanam and Sujatro Ghosh document the lives of band wallas and celebrates their spirit that adds so much joy to a stranger’s big day.
The photographers go behind the scenes to explore the lives the musicians lead, their backgrounds and how they overcome personal grief and poverty to participate in ostentatious celebrations.
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The images capture not only the wedding bands that get tipsy baratis doing the “snake dance”, but also bands that play during south Indian weddings, where there is no dancing or processions involved. The camera even turns to Goa, where brass bands play during funerals.
Sujata Khanna’s images start with musicians getting dressed for the event and her lens follows them through their performance, where they get men and women to dance on the streets and offer them money.
Vinit Gupta and Nirvair Singh Rai get behind the scene and showcase the conditions in which the band wallas live, and offer candid shots of them in-between performance.
The exhibition has been curated by Aditya Arya, in collaboration with the India Photo Archive Foundation and the Neel Dongre Awards and Grants for Excellence in Photography.
Aditya says the photographers were chosen by the foundation to tell visual stories that can be documented for future generations to remember.
“Brass bands are getting replaced by DJs and electronic bands, who too accompany the procession. There may come a day in the future when these bands cease to exist, and the seemingly common sights and sounds of today will only be remembered by these photographs,” he adds.
The exhibition is on till March 26 at the Art Gallery of the India Habitat Centre.