A city-based singer's upcoming singles highlight the music's lesser-known side, removed from the item songs that now define it
The original avatar of Jhumka Gira Re, Pranita Nair Pandurangi tells us, was a Bhojpuri folk song where a woman recounts her ordeal of being beaten up by her husband, nanand and mother-in-law when she loses her earring in Bareilly ka bazaar. "But the one that really touched a chord is one where a young bride complains about her in-laws in public and threatens to take them to court for abusing her," says the Mumbai-based singer, actor and writer. For a music genre that has come to be associated with crass objectification of women through item numbers and pop-culture portrayal in general, it's insightful how its folk songs subvert and challenge patriarchy, turning the male gaze on its head.
Having trained in Hindustani classical music, this facet of Bhojpuri music began to reveal itself to Pranita only when she developed an interest in the folk genre. "I didn't know much about folk music until I auditioned for a play based on folk legends from Punjab. That's when I started paying attention to the words," recalls the 24-year-old. She then signed up for the Kabir festival, which took her to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where she saw folk singers tend to their fields in the day while the entire village gathered at their home in the evenings to listen to their music. "I saw how folk songs found their way into people's hearts, and mine too," shares Pranita, who has a Masters degree in ancient Indian culture.
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Back in Mumbai, she signed up for music lessons from noted singer Kaumudi Munshi, who hails from Varanasi. "A master of both, the thumri style of singing and folk music, she has a rich collection of Bhojpuri songs; a treasure I haven't come across elsewhere," says Pranita. Her upcoming independent debut album, Rang, features six songs in Bhojpuri, Malwi, Punjabi, Marwari, Marathi and Urdu. A single from the album will be released online on August 15. She plans to release more singles in Bhojpuri in the coming months.
(From left) Rahul Gajjal (melodica), Pranita Nair Pandurangi (vocals and guitar), Mrunmay Chavan (dholak) and Yashashree Uchil (mandolin)
Speaking about Aail Phagunwa, a traditional phaag geet from Uttar Pradesh, which is a part of the album, the artiste says, "A joyous song sung during Holi, it is about two girlfriends exploring the colour-drenched streets of the village with abandon — a stark contrast from the Holi we see in India today. These songs are a world apart from their film counterparts. They give us a peek into the lives of rural women from the region, and their themes range from longing for the lover to female desire, the close companionship between nanand [husband's sister] and bhauji, and the trials and tribulations of being a woman."
Asked why she picked Bhojpuri for her upcoming singles, Pranita explains, "Because it hasn't been explored much. Even when Coke Studio had a session on folk music, they invited singers from several languages, except Bhojpuri." But like Aail Phagunwa, where the guitar and beats of cajon blend seamlessly with the dhol and dholak, she plans to add a more modern touch to her songs. "Think folk lyrics with a rap vibe and electronic layers. The idea is to contemporarise this rich tradition and make it more accessible."
Log on to: youtube.com/pranitanp
Gaalis with melody
In a patriarchal set-up, wedding ceremonies are replete with instances of high-handedness from the groom's side, even as the "ladkiwale" strive to keep them pleased. The tradition of gaali geet — "songs of abuse" literally — challenges this attitude, even though it's all in jest. The women in the bride's family poke fun at the groom’s relatives. No one minds it; it's their first and last chance to do this.
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