New band aims to repackage bhavageethe

Launched last week, it is adding jazz, Latin and reggae elements to songs by well-known Kannada poets, writes Tini Sara Anien

A brother-sister duo has formed a band with the aim of promoting bhavageethe, which is largely a musical rendering of Kannada poetry written since the mid-20th century. Called The Bhava Express, it features singer Madhu Manoharan and her brother Karthik Pandavapura on percussion.

Though the duo had been performing bhavageethe for two decades, it was only after they met drummer Karthik Mani at an event around six months ago that the band came together. At the launch of the band, held on October 19, the duo was joined by Mani, guitarists Haripriya Narasimhan and Arijit Das, and five other backing vocalists.

Talking about how the band intends to present the genre in their performances, she says: “Our performances will include poetry by greats like Kuvempu, N S L Bhatta, P T Narasimhachar, B R Lakshman Rao, G P Rajarathnam, D V Gundappa, and B R Lakshman Rao. Instead of vocal skills, the focus will always be on presenting poetry in a way
that touches the audience.” 

At the launch, the band performed nine songs to an audience that included a mix of teenagers, young adults, middle-aged people and the elderly. The setlist included ‘Ananthadim diganthadim’ (composed by P Kalinga Rao); ‘Baa olave’, ‘Nan gangi roopa’ and ‘Bittidde yenda alli’ (by Mysore Ananthaswamy); ‘Tirege tamma siriya thetthu’ and ‘Yake heege beesuttirabeku gaali’ (by Raju Ananthaswamy); ‘Jeeva bandanthe’ and ‘Jaali baarinalli’ (by C Ashwath); and ‘Thoredu hogadiro jogi’ (by H K Narayan). 

Talking about the genre’s history, Madhu says, “In the 1970s, Kalinga Rao, a sugama sangeetha singer, started composing songs using folk-based literature. He was considered a pioneer of bhavageethe. My guru Raju Ananthaswamy’s father Mysore Ananthaswamy was inspired by Rao and carried forward the legacy of Kannada bhavageethe.” Ananthaswamy started promoting the music style at every orchestra performance he sang at in the 1980s, and it grabbed a lot of attention. “However, commercial film music grew in popularity in the 1990s and bhavageethe fell out of favour,” she adds.

The band aims to “make bhavageethe relatable to new audiences and youngsters by blending in elements from other genres like jazz, samba, and reggae” in their performances.

“However, we will not tamper with the compositions too much as that will make them lose their authenticity,” Madhu adds. 

For details about the band’s upcoming shows, look up @the.bhava.express on Instagram.