How a Koli tune got the Obamas to groove

Dressed in a hip multihued printed shirt sporting white thickrimmed frames and a matching fedora 56year old Chintamani he goes by his first name steps onto the stage at Worli fort with the picturesque Mumbai skyline serving as a backdrop Presented by Zubaan mdash a music project connecting independent artistes with public mdash he starts his performance with a Koli song Daru TariUS President Barack Obama left watches First Lady Michelle Obama dance to the popular track Me Hai Koli at a cultural event hosted at a city school during their visit to India in 2010The lyrics go something like this Daru Tari Agar Keli Sarkar Ni Bandh Kaise Javache Amche Koli Van Nearly 100odd Kolis from the neighbourhood groove to his tunes as the tempo builds up ldquoI had written this song a long time ago when they were planning to ban alcohol in Maharashtra Yes alcohol leads to addiction but it is an important part of our culture One line goes if therersquos no alcohol how will our functions take placerdquo shares Chintamani as he gears up to replay this track as part of the lineup for Zubaanrsquos next performance at The Hive this SundayAlso readObamas swing to folk music at Mumbai schoolPresented by Zubaan centre Koli singer Chintamani performing with from left Jignesh on drums Dinu on percussions and Sylvester from Worli Koliwadarsquos Astik Brass Band at Worli Fort earlier this monthBorn and brought up in Worlirsquos Koliwada Chintamani took to performing and even dancing Koli songs since he was seven ldquoMy grandfather Budhaji Shimagya wrote Koli songs and I would sing them These songs are integral to our festivals For instance during Ganpati festival my grandfather and his friends would stay on guard near the idol So to stay awake they would compose songs on the spot Even wedding invitations were announced via Koli singers who would walk with dholkis and ask people to join in the revelriesrdquo informs the singer who has to his credit an audiocassette on Golfadevi Worlirsquos native goddess 1991 an audio CD 2010 as well as its video version 2013 ldquoI have penned most of the tracks and sung them too Koli music is my hobby but unfortunately since I have full dayrsquos duty at the Naval Dockyard I canrsquot dedicate enough time to itrdquo he admitsCulture and the KoliKoli music has always been an integral part of the Koli community fabric who are often regarded as the original inhabitants of the city residing along its coastal pockets including Worli Versova and Mahim While earlier it was relegated to locals singing at festivals and weddings with time the community witnessed interest from many music companies who signed up singers to record albums based on their folk tunes ldquoThey have songs for every festival including Holi Nariyal Purnima and Navratri which are traditional and catchy We tape their programmes arrange the tunes call singers for a recording and then produce music albums The production cost is around 15 to 2 lakh while the album is sold at 50rdquo says Jayesh Veera MD Krunal Entertainment Pvt Ltd that owns close to 100 titles of Koli songs since the last 20 yearsldquoKoligeet has been prevalent since 1950s and 60s Even Lataji Mangeshkar sang Vallav re Nakva that is an ode to fisherfolk Koli music is sweet and rhythmic The instruments used in traditional songs are dholkis trumpets clarinets and shehnai there are no Western instrumentsrdquo shares music producer Yogesh KelvekarVesavkar who has been hosting live shows on Koli music in Mumbai since the last two decades ldquoI do at least 100 shows annually The singers perform with an orchestra to an audience of roughly 3000rdquo he addsMe hai KoliWhen we think of Kolis the first track to come to mind is Me Hai Koli Sorilya Hori Written by Vesavkar Mandali mdash a popular group within the Koli Vesavkar community responsible for penning most traditional Koli numbers mdash this song was recorded by Shrikant Narayan way back in 1986 with Venus MusicA Keralite who was born and bred in Mumbai he is the only nonMaharashtrian who finds a pride of place in the list of popular contemporary Koli singers ldquoI know Marathi so learning the song was not difficult but I had to learn certain pronunciations For instance in Marathi we say lsquopadtairsquo but Kolis pronounce it as lsquopartairsquo I had recorded another song Dol Doltay Varyavar that became a superhitrdquo informs the singer who has 500 Koli songs under his belt While he went on to sing Hindi songs jingles and even perform solo tributes to Mohd Rafi abroad he admits ldquoEven today when I am called to perform at a Marathi concert I sing these two songs My identity was created because of Koli music and it gave me recognition with all the audio companiesrdquoA slow shiftWhile previously five to six audio companies mdash like HMV Venus Tips Wings as well as Krunal Entertainment mdash were dedicated to producing Koli music albums the numbers have dwindled now ldquoEarlier I would work on five to six albums every month But these days I get work for one album in three monthsrdquo shares 59year old citybased music arranger Ashok Vaingankar who has worked on close to 3000 titles including Hindi Gujarati and Marathi in his career spanning 30 years The digital age and singers turning to other languages as singing avenues has led to the decline of Koli music believes VaingankarHowever unlike its Hindi counterpart that has witnessed a slew of item numbers with risqueacute lyrics and techno sounds Koli music still remains sanctimonious to its tribe thankfully ldquoNothing much has changed You will still hear traditional lyrics that bring out the essence of festivities even in todayrsquos albums They may add a few songs that depict couples teasing each other or a romantic number but the lyrics are pure That way Kolis donrsquot let go of their culture easilyrdquo sums up NarayanOn October 25 730 pmAt The Hive 50 A Huma Mansion opposite Ahmed Bakery Chuim Village Road Khar W Cost Rs 200