Music is the least protected art form, says Tapan Raj

Two childhood friends, Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj, with a common love and knack for electronica music, decided to follow their passion in earnest and formed the band Midival Punditz around 20 years ago. The two, who will be performing in the city at Bandstand today, feel the biggest hurdle musicians are struggling with in present times is lack of rights in the industry.  

“I feel laws are a matter of huge struggle in India and music is the least protected among all art forms here. In Bollywood, actors and technicians have rights that protect them, but musicians have none. The songs that artistes make for films can be used for various commercial reasons, and the producer earns money from that, even though he has nothing to do with the creation of that piece of art. Why should the artist not get paid every time his song is used outside the scene in the movie? Education around the rights of an artiste is needed,” comments Tapan.

Strong undertones of Indian classical music fused with electronica is their forte and identity, but what makes them stand out among the independent musicians today is that they strongly follow their instincts, overlooking industry trends and even competition. Commenting on how they got together, Tapan adds, “Gaurav and I know each other since we were 10 years old. We were in the same school in Delhi, and in the same college. He studied architecture, and I studied engineering. Post-college, in 1997, we started experimenting with computer-based engines. There were softwares like Cakewalk, Pro Tools that we could use. We eventually realised that we can easily put together a small studio in our bedroom with a computer, a small keyboard and a drum machine, without spending much money.”

They started with throwing parties called Cyber Mehfils at cafes in Delhi, where they played mostly Indian electronica music and music from across the world. They created a remix of Ras Ke Bhare Tore Nain, by Hira Devi Mishra from the movie Gaman (1978), which was used by Mira Nair in Monsoon Wedding (2001). And this was their first step towards success.

“We then did some shows at Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada and California. International band Six Degrees noticed and approached us, and we ended up signing up with them. Ever since, we have done four albums and a remix album with them. It’s been a good ride,” says Tapan.

Interestingly, Tapan and Gaurav are amongst the few who make sure that their international audience gets to hear Indian classical music, tweaked in a way that they enjoy it. While electronica, rock, pop and Indian music have been the core ingredients of their songs, “Indianness” is an inherent feature in them. “Indianness has always been an inspiring catalyst for us throughout. We make sure that Indian music is presented to our international audience in a context and setting that they understand, tweaked with a flavour that they would appreciate,” explains Gaurav.

The band has only four albums so far, but they proudly claim to not be “natural procrastinators”. They strongly believe in being “honest” to their art, and compose music only when it feels right.

“If we don’t feel the need to sit together in the studio and put some ideas down for half a year, we won’t,” says Tapan.

Their music philosophy, stresses Gaurav, is honesty. According to him, the most beautiful pieces of art are formed with one’s ability to be honest in what one is trying to say or capture.

“If 100 people told us that a track was awesome but we didn’t like it, it won’t be on the album. And if a 1,000 people told us that a song was bad but we liked it, it would reach the album. We realised very early that our album is a piece of art that will stay with us for perpetuity. So, it was important for us to be happy with it,” says Tapan, adding, “As a band, the single most important thing was that we weren’t doing this for the money. We wanted to do something that would make us proud.”

He believes that the band’s greatest achievement has been to make people believe they didn’t need to study architecture, or medicine, and that music had a future. “If our success opened even one or two doors for people, I think that’s a great achievement for us,” says Tapan.  

On being asked about the music scenario for independent musicians in India, he feels that it is thriving. “Financially, artistes are earning pretty well today because they are good at their art. They came from nothing, and have honed and nurtured their skills. Lots of platforms are available and the audience and their tastes have matured.”

It has been quite a while since Midival Punditz did a gig in Delhi. Ask them about it and Gaurav says, “This gig is going to be a special, fun set. We want to do a dance-floor-friendly set today because we haven’t done that in a while, and we want people to have fun.”

And by when can we expect their next album? “We would like to have a ready and mastered album by the end of 2017. That sounds like a plan. Till then, let’s get to this show today. Let’s take it one step at a time,” says Tapan.

Midival Punditz will be performing today at 9 pm at Bandstand, Hauz Khas, as part of Baleno Wicked Weekends