Lying spread eagle on my chaise lounge on a lazy afternoon, I was browsing through music videos to look for something refreshingly different when I came across this sprightly little number which though I understood only partially, that too after much-concentrated listening, I liked really well. The song had a soothing tone to it with music which was a pleasure to my ears and a lead female voice so strong that it still resonates in my ears as I write this.
I am talking about the latest mashup song video by Priyanka Meher and her friends. Priyanka is a well-known name on Facebook and is definitely going to make her presence felt on other online platforms too. When I checked out her FB page and contacted her to hear her story, she got me in touch with Akshay Purohit who is an Artist Manager who helps budding artists organise gigs and events.
I got to know that Priyanka hails from Tehri but has set up base in Dehradun now where she met the other three artists featured in the video. They all work independently but came together for this musical as all of them wanted to reach out to regional audiences. They are of the opinion that there is a huge regional audience waiting for good music in keeping with times.
One can hear Garhwali, Kumaoni, Nepali, and English in this mashup which is indeed a very innovative mix of music and lyrics. Rapper Mayank Rawat is a native of Niti Mana, India’s last village on the Uttarakhand – China border. He goes by the stage name Rongpaz and comes from the Rongpa community of which only about 20 k people remain as of date. The other rapper Mahendra Singh Khatri goes by the stage name UK Rappy Boy is of Kumauoni descent and their beatboxer Ankit Samoli also belongs from Tehri.
A lot of population from the remote mountainous regions of Uttarakhand and other hilly areas migrate to the bigger cities or metros in search of a livelihood. These young artists want to bring all those people closer by the link of native music. Akshay also said that their music finds special favour from listeners in West Bengal and Nepal as compared to any other regions.
It is good to know that the youth today feels a strong bonding to their roots and are finding creative ways to express their originality.
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