Grooving to Desi Vibes

Besharam! The word can be offensive, given that it means ‘shameless’. But its vibes have been cleverly turned on their head to generate interest instead of negativity, and made into the catchy name of a band. The name is a play on ‘Sharma’ as in prolific singer Vasuda Sharma, the lead singer of the outfit. The Mumbai-based Sharma and the Besharams recently performed in Chennai and at the Bay 146 of Savera Hotel, featuring songs from its first original EP BeDesi.

Vasuda, a graduate from Berklee College of Music, USA, says, “We wanted a name which was catchy and fun. We are playing the kind of music which will bring smiles on the faces of people. The audience in Chennai was receptive and engaging.”

Also featuring guitarist Chaitanya Bhaidkar, base player ChirayuVedekar and drummer Rahul Hariharan, the bandgot a great response from the Bay 146 audience.

“EP BeDesi has four songs”, elaborates Vasuda - “Ganga, Jazbaa, Bailgaadi and Rahimaan. Ganga is a Bhojpuri songabout the River Ganga, Rahimaan has dohas(couplets) by  Saint Rahim. Bailgaadi written in haryanvi script is a fun song eulogizing the bullock cart over other means of transport. Jazbaa is about the will to fight. It has a wrestling scene and I have written the lyrics for it.” All four songs have banjo musicin common and simmer with a folk vibe.

Vasuda started her career in 2003 with theAasma band. Songs like “Chandu keChacha” and “Jeet lenge Hum” by the band became extremely popular in 2004.The band had four members - Jimmy Felix, Sangeet Haldipur, and Neeti Mohan, apart fromVasuda, the youngest in the team. In 2013 she released her debut folk-fusion solo album Attuned Spirits through crowd funding. The song involved 30 musicians.

Vasuda has also composed five songs for the movie Shahrukh Bola Khoobsurat Hai Tu. “I composed for a Marathi film,Ti Ani Itar, directed by Govind Nihalani. I have also composedthe background music for the documentary film Path of Zarathustra.” she says, adding, “We are collaborating with the Dharavi Dream Project on one of our songs very soon.”

The band is currently working on its next original,Sarphira, which has Afro-Assamese folk nuances.