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Indian sarod maestros and brothers Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash are busy with performances but even through that they are going to pause and take the time out to celebrate Holi with family but this time there is more to celebrate.
Taking their love for the festival a step further, they released a Holi album earlier this week called ‘Holi Project: Colors and Celebration’ with Padma Shri Malini Awasthi, who is considered as the folk queen of India. This EP of five songs blends classical and folk music to produce a timeless sound that not only celebrates the Indian festival but also our culture through music. While Bollywood music is popular during this time, one can’t help but soak into the tracks that ring in our ears every time somebody utters the word ‘Holi’, as they are familiar yet sung in the folk singer’s own unique voice.
Collaborating with Malini Awasthi
So, what made them collaborate with the celebrated folk singer? Amaan shares, “We (Ayaan bhai and me), had done an album together called, “We For Love”, in which we worked with a lot of musicians like Shubha Mudgal, Mahesh Kale and Malini Awasthi. So, we did just one track with Malini ji, and then Ayaan and I thought that we should take this forward because we`ve not really done any folk album, especially to do with Holi. And I thought, ‘When you go for Holi parties, I hope I can be a part of the music one day’.” Working on the album was a perfect match because they both wanted to work with each other. With an aim to showcase the authentic songs of Holi, they worked on the EP together.
The album also happens to be the second in a series on Indian festivals. The first one being ‘Diwali Project: Music & Magic’ released in 2024, this one simply felt like a natural progression, especially because of the nature of the festival of colours. “This was something always on the bucket list for a very long time. What really made it happen sooner than we knew it was last Diwali when we did ‘Diwali Project’,” shares Ayaaan, continuing, “So, I said, let`s just maybe go towards the trilogy of some sort and then do Holi project next. In the larger sense, you know, classical music always has had its ragas associated with Holi. It had its spinoffs very close to Holi, you know, ragas like Zilla Kafi or Hori Kajri. They are very integral aspects of classical music, and they were closely associated with Holi, right? Like the Ragamala series, the miniature paintings.”
Finding true meaning in Holi
Beyond its culture and tradition, along with the music, Holi is a lot more for the brothers. Amaan shares, “There`s no hierarchy during Holi. This is the only festival in the world where everyone is equal. You might have somebody who is a staff member who`s putting colour to maybe some owner`s owner. So that`s what I love about Holi.”
With the aim to showcase the uniqueness of Holi and its larger message, Ayaan adds, “It is about music being without race, borders and differences. Something we need to celebrate more and more with every passing day, what`s happening in the world. It`s just a day when we move on and set aside even our differences, maybe if we have with anyone. And then start over and just bring colour to your life, literally.”
Starting work on the EP only six-seven months ago amid their busy schedules, Amaan says the Indian folk singer chose the songs for the album because she had to sing them and comes from the industry where she understands what will work and what won’t. He further explains, “Honestly, this album is not to do with just being creative. It is created for the masses. We wanted it to get to the masses. Many times, when we do albums and music, we don`t really focus on `pochega, nahipochega`. We just think `I hope people like it`. But in this album, the attitude was that we wanted to reach out to every loudspeaker, every Holi party speaker.”
It only got better because coming together was so seamless for them, which may not always be the case when other artists work together. Amaan highlights, “When you work creatively, I would love to work with a lot of people but because of their creative attitude, sometimes you don`t work with people. When I`m working with my brother Ayaan or anyone else, or my father (Amjad Ali Khan) or any other musician, the idea is not to just work together because something good will come out of it. Firstly, the attitude has to be correct. The giving has to be there. Like when I`m playing with Ayaan and Malini ji, I`m not playing with the attitude that I should shine. The attitude is that I hope I can inspire them, and they can shine more than me.” In fact, the only challenge that was really there were their busy schedules but even that, they overcame with ease because of technology and their two programmers Sai Shravanam and Vishal Dixit.
The result is an album, which has `Divine Celebration’ (Hori Khele Raghuveera), `Holi Hues` (Hori Re Rasiya), `Spirited Splashes` (Rang Darungi), `Crimson Flush` (Sakhi Solah Hazaar), and `Colours of Love` (Rasiya Ko Naar), that not only celebrates classical music with the help of the sarod but also folk music in five different ways. While the first three are a classical and folk collaboration, the other two see the brothers showcase their expertise – all displaying the richness of India’s musical artistry. As if continuing the thought, Ayaan adds, “Folk music is something we all grow up with. It`s in our DNA. It just takes you somewhere. It takes you to your childhood. It takes you to memories. There`s no rigidity to it. I`m not saying by improvising through folk music, you`re coming out of a classical zone. I`m just saying that classical music had its spin-offs with folk music It`s been a marriage for years and Malini ji is taking forward the legacy of her guru, Girija Devi ji.”
‘Music doesn’t have a shelf life’
Even as Bollywood rules playlists for Holi, Amaan believes there will be enough people who will enjoy this music. He adds, “Some people still want the old school folk music of Holi, which is traditional, right? Then songs are converted into a different way, to make it commercialised. Cinema is an amazing medium because it takes music everywhere. So, there is no competition, and I don’t believe in that.” With that being said, he adds that what gets picked up, gets picked up what doesn’t, they will work harder next time. The fact that music cannot be imposed on anyone, says Ayaan, makes it a very organic process. “As artists, we can just put it out there, and every album, EP and track has its own destiny. Luckily, for festivals like Holi and Diwali, music doesn’t have a shelf life, it’s timeless,” adds the younger brother, saying he hopes it is something that people listen to in the years to come.
With the hope that many people will add these songs to their playlists, it is hard not to ask them about the Holi celebrations. Coming together, it will be a celebration with family with some water balloons and meals together, but not definitely keeping away from the colours because they have concerts back-to-back. “We don’t want colour on our faces when we go on stage,” laughs Amaan, while Ayaan reveals about how his elder brother goes all out to organise everything for the nephews, showcasing how every Indian soaks in the festive spirit through food, culture and family.
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