Folk You: Discussing folk music through folk music

The tempo quickened as singer Sajal Dewan transitioned to the well-known tune of 'Ma lo ma,' and it was right then that the sound of the rain became louder, almost as if it was trying to match the energy of Sajal Dewan's voice. 

On 28 May, music enthusiasts gathered at Jatra Biroti for the 'Folk You' event, organised by the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Alumni, which consisted of a panel discussion and music demonstration. 

Though heavy rain persisted throughout the day, it was no match for the determination of the crowd that slowly filled the room to listen to folk music. 

The motivation behind 'Folk You' was to open a new channel to conserve the genre of folk music. "A lot of folk music isn't properly documented. Apart from 15-20 popular folk songs, we don't often get to hear other, newer songs. I felt like we needed to find a way to preserve this genre," said the spokesperson for YES Alumni, Mukit Anis.

While the typical panel discussion is arranged in a seminar style, 'Folk You' took a more intimate approach by conducting it at Jatra Biroti. The audience abandoned the chairs to sit on the floor and listen to Dewan's speech. Similarly, Dewan veered clear from a rehearsed speech and discussed the diversity in Baul music in the most efficient manner— by singing it. 

Dewan's discussion of Baul music included songs such as, 'Bondhur jalai joila mori re', 'Ghuddi ke banailo re', and 'Ma lo ma.' In between the snippets of the songs he performed, Dewan told stories about the songs and his memories around them, bridging a gap between the audience and the music. 

Dewan said folk music is an underappreciated genre and it does not receive nearly as much attention as other forms of art. "For folk music to gain popularity, we have to find ways to modernise the music and instrumentals to appeal to the new generation," commented Dewan. 

"The reason why Baul music isn't as appreciated is because it is hard for people to understand the language it uses. So, it is our responsibility to focus and work on preserving this music and taking it to an international level," he continued.

His statement rings true for the genre as a whole, but one look at the audience told a different, unexpected story. A majority of the crowd was filled with young people taking in the music, only rarely picking up their phones to record the moment. Whether the audience was acquainted with the music did not matter, because their desire to explore the genre was evident.

However, the event showed symptoms of the age-old ailment of lack of time management; starting an hour late. On top of that, in an intimate setting, no live show is spared from technical malfunctions, and so was the case with Folk You. Yet, it did not dim the spirit of the crowd.

The beauty of folk music is that it strips music down to the bare voice of the musician and its simple instruments. So, when the event transitioned to the performances, and Tushar Hossain and Borna took the mic, all was forgotten. 

As a familiar tune played, the duo began to sing, 'Ami kothai pabo tare,' originally written by Baul musician Gagan Harkara. What makes this song so special is its melody, which Rabindranath Tagore used to compose our national anthem, 'Amar Sonar Bangla.' As the familiar notes played, the performance stood as a strong reminder of how much folk music is ingrained in our roots.

Similar to Dewan's discussion panel, descriptions of each song were read out during Tushar and Borna's performance. 

"Folk You' was not just a celebration of folk music; they recognised its distance from the mainstream and actively sought to make it more accessible.