'Busking is perceived as begging'

A four-piece band that performs on Mumbai's streets will talk about the sorry state of indie music at TEDxBandra

Boys from SouthPark perform Jazz,âu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Funk andâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Reggae in public spaces such as parks, promenades and metro stations across the city for the common people

"Bollywood always sells, but the state of independent music in India is really bad," begins Prince Mangan, the bassist of Boys From SouthPark. The members of the band will talk about this and more, and put up a performance at TEDxBandra tomorrow.

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Made up of Mangan (bass), Roshan Bhat (vocals, kazoo, guitar), Love More (guitar) and Moin Farooqui (drums), the band came together in December 2015. They began by jamming under the canopy of trees at Shivaji Park, playing Jazz notes and incorporating Reggae and Funk elements into it. "If it wasn't obvious, the 'SouthPark' in the band's name refers to Shivaji Park," chuckles Mangan.

While you'll find the boys playing gigs at events like the Prithvi Festival, what they really enjoy is busking (playing music in public spaces). This led them to join Natural Streets for Performing Arts (NSPA), a non-profit that aims to bring the culture of street performances to India, in July last year. However, it was not before they burned their fingers trying to busk independently.

"Overseas, you can earn money through busking, but the concept is misunderstood in India. We tried it before joining NSPA, but the experience was terrible. People thought we were beggars, but then they saw we were not badly dressed. Some laughed and walked away," rues Mangan. Bhat chimes in, mentioning that even now, performing at Mumbai's metro stations is difficult, as they need to catch the attention of the hordes milling about. "No one has the time to stop and listen. Most times, they can barely hear us over all the din," he adds.

Their lyrics, despite their experimental sounds, are in Hindi and speak to the common man. Mangan says, "We're playing for the people. What's the point if they don't understand what we're trying to say?"

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