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.