The Nirbhaya case of 2012 not only led to a nationwide uproar prompting the government to act but also inspired one youth from Shillong to pen down the miseries of women in India, both in the mainland and the North East, and another to visually express the lyrical thoughts.
Sidhant Deb of Shillong was so shaken by the heinous gang rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi that he decided to give wings to the so-called suppressed gender. He was in college at that time.
Udne Do (Let me fly) is about breaking the shackles of society and standing up for oneself. However, it was six years after that the song was made into a video, directed and produced by Badsha Talukdar, another Shillong boy now based in Mumbai.
“Sidhant was in Kolkata when he composed the song. After six years when he moved to Mumbai he met me and asked me for help. I knew him from Shillong. I assured him to help because it was for a good cause,” says Talukdar, who is from Rilbong.
Making a video in Mumbai was not easy. But the duo found a like-minded teammate in Chakir Hussain, who is originally from Guwahati. Hussain runs a music label called Griebs Music in Mumbai and readily agreed to help.
“Griebs releases independent albums and my brother is also a part of the company. So together we gave life to the lyrics,” says Talukdar.
The video of Udne Do was shot in Mumbai, Shillong and Tura. It was released on July 18 on over 400 digital platforms and instantly became popular. “There are many realistic shots. The song gives more power and energy to women. It is about everything that women deserve and dream for themselves. This song asks the society to stop portraying them in a certain way,” says the 30-year-old director while talking about Udne Do.
The cinematographer of the video, Dipankar Sarkar, is also from Meghalaya (Tura) and has helped the duo in the project in various ways. “I am thankful to all of them and it was like a home team,” says Talukdar.
‘A long journey’
Talukdar, who runs an artiste management company called 10 Talents in Mumbai, promotes young artistes and is currently working with Pawandip Rajan, the winner of Voice India Season 1, a talent show. Before starting his own company, Talukdar managed renowned singer Papon and gained a sound experience in the music industry. This helped him to confidently take a plunge into the vast entertainment industry of Mumbai.
“I always had a special interest in music after cricket. I used to play tabla when I was a child,” says Talukdar and adds that it was Papon who taught him a lot about music and the industry.
“He was an inspiration and we shared a close relationship. He treated me as his brother,” Talukdar says about the singer whom he calls Paponda.
As a student, Talukdar, who moved to Kolkata after completing his Class X board examination, played U-19 state level school cricket and spent a substantial time in Pune. He had played for the Maharashtra invitation matches team and also represented India in Singapore. But Talukdar found his calling in the entertainment business and diligently followed his heart to Mumbai.
The Shillong boy, who calls himself a “Jack of all trades”, has worked in several several big projects like MTV Unplugged and Coke Studio.
“It has been a long journey for me,” says Talukdar.
Asked about the challenges, Talukdar, who has also stayed in Delhi for some years, says the biggest challenge is to know the people “so that you can live your life your way”.
The young music professional also has plans for Shillong, his home town. He wants to scout talents from the region and give them a national platform. When he came home in June, he held a music workshop with the students of PN Chaudhuri Higher Secondary School in Rilbong, his alma mater.
“When I started the company, I also wanted to give a platform to all those who wanted to explore the world of entertainment. There is a lot of things to learn in this field,” says Talukdar who feels the North East is rich in culture and there are many talents who are yet to be recognised.
About the music scenario in Shillong, Talukdar feels it is more about western music and is classier than the rest of the country. “The reason why not many singers and musicians have made it to the national stage is because of Bollywood. You have to go through Bollywood to get that platform,” asserts Talukdar, who is more interested in promoting independent music.
Power of music
Deb, the 26-year-old lyricist and singer of Udne Do, also shares the same passion for music with Talukdar. He wants to make a difference through music and Udne Do was just the beginning.
Though Deb, who grew up in RR Colony, is part of Talukdar’s company, he is not in the music industry full time. But he wants to be a music director and like Talukdar, wants to make independent music. His aim is to spread awareness and give people the courage to fight against all odds through the power of music.
Besides being an account manager in a Mumbai-based company, Deb works on small projects. Recently, he gave music for a short film.
“I think someone else can do justice to my songs. But I have limited resources at present so for some time I will do my own songs,” says Deb, who did his higher studies and MBA from Kolkata and worked in Bengaluru before shifting to Mumbai.
About Udne Do, Deb says he was moved by the Nirbhaya case and wanted to raise a voice against it. “I wanted to pay my condolence. Instead, I thought why not raise a voice. And that is how Udne Do happened six years ago. That was the best medium for me to bring out my emotions to the world,” he says.
Deb says he grew up seeing the empowered women in Meghalaya’s matrilineal society and Udne Do was “inspired by the strength of all those women, including my mother”. Talking about his collaboration with Talukdar, Deb says he is like an elder brother who helped him a lot when he came to Mumbai “where people hardly care for each other”.
The aspiring music director has chosen several social issues as subjects of his songs. Child labour and Down’s Syndrome are two such problems which he wants to focus on. He also wants to highlight the life and nature in Meghalaya.
Deb is already working on a song on children suffering from Down’s Syndrome and says more than the disease “it is their positivity that inspires me”.
It is this inspiration from the minorities in the society that keeps the young musician going and it is through music that a change will come, believes Deb.
~ NM