The eighth edition of the Hyderabad Literary Festival kicks off with storytelling sessions, stage talks and cultural events that will be hosted and attended by poets, literary enthusiasts, writers, performing artists, etc. This year, the language in focus at the fest is Kannada while the guest nation in focus is Spain, whose literature, art and culture will be widely showcased.
Amidst all this, a young and versatile musician, Keertana Bhoopal, from the city, returns to the city with a project that integrates rhythms and sounds with contemporary art.
Says Keertana, “This is a collaborative project with a visual artist, Sahana Ramprakash. The idea is to create an interactive platform of rhythmic patterns made with inanimate objects like tennis balls, paper cups, stones and forks. Another module is all about composing a song based on the story written by participants. As the composition is performed, the participants would be encouraged to draw their thoughts on a paper. It’s all about expressing oneself through music and art.”
Recalling her childhood days, when she started learning Carnatic music, Keertana shares, “I was very passionate about music. I used to literally sing even while I was walking. I also learnt the drums and the keyboard as exploring different forms of music gave me immense joy. I was always inspired by the voice of Mariah Carey. She can express any emotion of life in her music. Later, I moved to Singapore and studied ‘popular jazz vocal’ at Lasalle College of the Arts. It was an interesting time to understand soul music, blues and jazz.”
Upon returning to India, Keertana found herself taking to the songs of artistes like Tina Turner and Beyoncé. “This was now the phase of rhythm blues and retro pop. I have always been open to new experiences and exposure in the field of music,” she states.
Back in India, Keertana has always been bold to experiment with and explore different kinds of sounds. “In India, I could hear beautiful sounds emanating from all folk forms. There are so many instruments and colours in Indian music. It’s so different. I have also done video albums based on well-known movie songs. I have been singing in Telugu, Hindi and English. In Singapore, I even started writing my own songs. This was the moment when I was trying to find myself, talking to myself about moving forward and to keep going,” shares the music lover.
Keertana feels that over the past three years, a lot of Indie bands have emerged in the Hyderabad music scenario. “This is a very positive development. There are many young musicians who are even taking the risk of creating and producing new music. New sounds and original productions need to be encouraged by everyone. My heart beats for Hyderabad. It’s been my home and there are so many new places that have come up for me to have a fun filled evening with my friends,” concludes Keertana.
