The Freaky Devotees Band put their music on a website and found themselves picked in the final five from 70 countries for the 'Best World Artist' award
The Freaky Devotees Band put their music on a website and found themselves picked in the final five from 70 countries for the 'Best World Artist' award SUBHROJYOTI stumbled across The Indie Bible, a book that according to their website sources more than 9,000 web music platforms for the aspiring musician. The band that he's part of, The Freaky Devotees, short-listed a
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Sound check: from left to right, Subhrojyoti, Utpal and Sourin |
few sites, one of them being
www.meermusic.com and put songs from their CD Sacred Musings on the site. It led to them being among the top five finalists at the Effigy awards (organised by the site they submitted their songs to) in the categories of 'Best Spiritual Song' and 'Best World Artist'.
The Freaky Devotees did not win any of the titles, but were part of a category in which more than 70 countries participated. And for a band that wasn't "even aware of any awards", it's a great stepping-stone. "We were quite surprised," says Utpal, a music arranger and composer in Bollywood and also a part of The Freaky Devotees, "We were quite surprised, we didn't expect anything. Then we get an e-mail telling us about our nominationsu2026" he says, humbled.
As you sit in conversation with them, all four of you on the floor cross-legged, you come to understand that their music is made up of kirtans, bhajans, Sanskrit shlokas and rock. They've even got a song called Tagorism that samples Mor Beena Uthe Kon Shure Baje.
"The 'ism' is added because Tagore is his own institution," says Sourin, Subhrojyoti's elder brother and also a band member. The brothers are originally from Guwahati, but are married and now work in Pune. The two have grown up in musical and spiritual the base of their work surroundings. "It's all (the music) concocted based on spontaneous decisions."
Even their name, which rings up images of hippies or loose robes, was a spur of the moment decision that stayed. And FYI, when you meet the trio, they're dressed in casuals, not a dreadlock in sight spirituality for them is not a fashion statement.
The brothers, who attach the respectful term 'da' after Utpal's name, formed around 2006. When Utpal got to hear some of the music his brother Zubin, Subhrojyoti and Sourin had made, he was immediately interested by its hatke quality. The three then went on to make Sacred Musings, with tremendous help from Subhroyoti and Sourin's father.
Utpal explains that Bollywood doesn't give him as much scope to experiment, as being a part of The Freaky Devotees Band does. Now it's the trio who together compose and sing their songs, with Subhrojyoti on guitar and Sourin on percussion.
So what inspires the band to write the songs they do? "The chaos that's prevalent, the need to break free and break out. To approach spirituality with an open mind. We don't write that much about love. It's a natural process that you don't need to glorify. What we write has more to do with the evolution of the mind," says Sourin.
When asked if spirituality has lost its essence by becoming somewhat of a fashion statement, Subhrojyoti supports his brother: "Sourin was working on Tagorism at least 10 years back." Sourin explains that even what would begin as a fake interest will eventually turn into a real one. "If someone wants to stop smoking, they'll try day after day and eventually they will stop. It's the same. Even if someone is faking an interest in spirituality, it will come to them eventually."
