MUMBAI: NDTV has lined up a three-part documentary series – The Music of the Diasporas – on the popular rhythms and ragas that have evolved amongst native Indian communities based in the French Reunion Island, Trinidad and Tobago and England. This is the music that has liberated and nourished the souls of communities of Indian origin and these are the rhythms of the uprooted, the music of the resettled. This three-part documentary that captures the popular music of three different Indian Diaspora communities, will be aired on NDTV 24X7 from 11 December at 10:30 pm.
In an attempt to record Indian beats transcending borders and ethnicities, The Music of the Diasporas is a eulogy to the musical manifestations born out of the clash of cultures, the conflicts between generations, and a search, both internal and external, for a sense of identity in an alien, ever-changing world.
French Reunion Island: NDTV visited the French Reunion Island, near Mauritius. French by nationality, the people of this island have found a powerful expression of their liberation from slavery as well as a celebration of their multiracial, multicultural identities in the popular ‘Maloya’ music. Here African rhythms collide with Indian religious chants, the beats of the ‘tambour’ invite those of the African drums to join in and a new vibrant music is born that defies differences and unifies experiences.
Trinidad and Tobago: British colonial labour trade brought thousands of indentured labourers from India, mainly from East UP and Bihar to the islands of the Caribbean to work alongside African slaves in the sugarcane plantations. Today their descendants in Trinidad and Tobago are blending traditional folk songs of North India with Calypso beats and African rhythms to produce the hottest music, aptly labeled Chutney. Rikki Jai, the Soca Chutney Monarch performs for various audiences in the annual Carnival in Port of Spain, the sitar and tabla play alongside the steel pan in Mangal Patesar’s orchestra, the celebratory mood in the country takes us from the beaches to the temple as it is Basant Panchmi soon after the Carnival is over.
England: This film travels from London to Birmingham filming live performances in clubs, in radio stations, in Indian neighborhoods, rehearsals in studios, attempting to catch a glimpse of England’s pulsating experiments with multiculturalism. Johnny Kalsi’s Dhol Foundation, DJ Ritu’s Bollywood inspired remixes, Kuljit Bhumra’s studio in Southhall , Avtar Lit’s Sunrise Radio, Hard Kaur’s experiments with rap and a pulsating weekend in Brick Lane. The personalised histories of small and upcoming Asian artistes come together to reveal those of a new generation of Asians asserting their identities and erasing boundaries, in this series.