In an era of pulsating beats and groovy repeats, are we ready to give ancient folk music a chance? With the first edition of Fakiri, a folk music festival kick-starting this week, we document the rise of the ‘fakiri’ in the city. A volley of young Bengalurueans and artistes dish out their views on the same…
A route to the roots: “Music knows no boundaries but needs to transition with time. The city has a history of rich folk music, but there is a need for musicians to understand the pulse of the audience. This is the era of experimental music. But at the same time, I believe there needs to be a perfect mash. It’s about recreating rhythms that are a synchronisation of varied genres that I will be looking forward to. It will be refreshing to see the revival of vedic folkand baul, provided there’s a streak of contemporisation,” remarks Abhishek Iyengar, a city-based theatre personality.
Artistes speak: Rooted in simplicity and tranquility, Fakiri folk music is imbibed with a quest for divine and the love for humanity – urging the listener to travel back in time. “In a city with a rich metropolitan vibe like ours, music has transcended beyond a medium of expression. That said, one must also acknowledge the fact that the music industry, quite like most other industries, has seen synthetisation at large.There’s an overdose of remakes and repeats, and in the rut, authentic Indian genres are lost,” shares Sreekumar Vakkayil, Vedic folk singer and one of the city- based artistes who will be performing at the festival.
The festival will witness thirteen acts performed by music maestros from various parts of the country. “The idea is to celebrate and revive music, which hasn’t been commercialised yet. It is about unveiling a face of music that hasn’t surfaced in a bit,” Sreekumar adds as he gears up to offer mellifluous renditions based on Kathakali padhams, and Geethu Govind ( poetry that was written in the 17thcentury.)
Speaking about how the idea of reinventing music from a bygone era is intriguing, Deepti Nagendra, a Bharatanatyam dancer, says, “There’s always a wee bit of surrealism associated with traditional music. Even the highest forms of classical music has its origin from folk. But at the same time, as an artiste and an audience, it’s about reviving a genre that needs to re-invent itself. Fakiri music isn't alien to the Indian context.”
The festival will take place from June 10th to the 19th, over the weekends, at the Phoenix Marketcity, Whitefield.
