Voice of women

An amalgamation of four voices, each different from the other but in complete harmony when together, the musical band — Ladies Compartment — is an exceptional representation of the ladies section of any train that bears female passengers. Similar to how local transportation brings together different people from around the city, the band too has members with their individualistic musical style yet relatable to everyone, and hence the band’s music resonates among all kind of music lovers.

“Our songs resonates with everyday life along with almost cinematic romanticism of local trains. We started with a small project but now we are evolving to a larger project,” says Aditi Ramesh who is a vocalist and the keyboardist in the band. Inspired by the sounds of rhythm and blues, soul, funk, folk, and jazz music, the band was formed by bassist Nandita V. and American violinist Kirsten Marea. It was when Nandita moved back to the US, that 28 year-old Aditi took over the charge with a motive to encourage other female artists to play instruments and original music.

“We were tired of only jamming with boys. It’s a safe environment where we can develop our instrumentation without judgement and we hope to encourage other female artists to play instruments and perform their original music,” says the musician.

Aditi, along with other members of the band — Ramya Pothuri(guitar), Aarifah Rebello(drums) and Pooja Mazoomdar(vocals) — recently performed at a concert in Mumbai at NCPA. With the aim of recording original music and executing diverse daydreamed ideas, in the middle of serious jam sessions, the band performed original songs as well as some covers and collaborations with other female artiste.

“Our theme for this performance was to share our stories which can be collectively empowering. We are different individuals and artists with our own unique musical taste and style, but when we come together to create music for our performances, it creates dynamic rhythms and sounds which is a product of our diverse ideas, inspirations and imaginations,” explains the musician.

Apart from playing in the band, all  the band members are in their 20s and play with multiple bands in the country. As of now, the band comprises of well-established musicians along with an upcoming talented local female artiste. When asked about their rehearsal sessions, the vocalist didn’t have a clear answer for it, however, she informs that it depends on the availability of every team member. “We all play with multiple bands so we make it work. We practice at different times of the day whenever everyone is available,” she says.

Ever since the violinist Nandita left the band, 28-year-old vocalist Pooja has become an essential part of group. According to Aditi, Pooja has played a few gigs with the band and everyone in the band connects well with her. “As we started jamming with her a natural sync was formed through music,” Aditi adds. As of now, the girls are busy working on recording original music for the band and also taking up freelance music projects for multiple brands.