Qafia brings the rustic flavour of music alive

Pune can easily be called the abode of Hindustani classical music as it has the privilege of hosting prominent music festivals like Sawai Gandharva and Vasantotsav. However, it is not just the Indian music scene that is flourishing in the city. Rock and heavy metal have their own fan following here and ample proof of this is the number of budding music bands.

One such young band is Qafia, which was formed just a few months ago. It consists of Gautam Sethmajhi (vocals), Chinmay Bhanagay (lead/rhythm), Saurabh Kalokhe (bass), Piyush Bhisekar (keyboard), Ketan Bhisekar (percussion) and Pratik Surana (drums). These gifted artistes are all college-goers except for Piyush, the youngest among them who is studying in standard IX. In a short span, Qafia has become a hot favourite among collegians.

“Qafia means a rhyme within a song or poem, but for us it means the rhyme in life, nature, emotions and everything that exists in the universe,” said Pratik. Qafia is a multi-genre Hindi band unlike other bands in Pune. It aims at composing Hindi songs as these youngsters think every country has music bands that compose songs in their languages. However, in India, most bands play English songs. Thus, Qafia wants to be the change.

As Chinmay said, “Through our work, we want to revive the love for Hindi music among youngsters. Most college bands in the city follow Western culture and music, but we want to balance our culture, language and our music.” 

The live demonstration of their title song Qafia was an example of the perfect blend of melody, rhythm and beats. On asking them about who they are learning from, Saurabh said. “We are all self-trained. Except for Piyush, no one has received professional training.” Delving further into it, Ketan said, “We all have learnt just by watching various videos. We are inspired by Indian Ocean, Agnee, Jal and Noori.”

The band members have had to do their bit of bunking lectures for jamming sessions. However, they have always done well academically.

This versatile band has participated in a number of college competitions and has grabbed many titles. They have also composed the anthem of Rotasia-2011 in collaboration with other bands. These youngsters said they owe all their success to their parents who have been supportive from the beginning. Moreover, they also are deeply thankful to Sandeep and Bhooshan Ostwal, who provided them with a room for jamming.

When traditional Indian rhythm meets popular Western instruments, an irresistible new sound is born and this is what Qafia gives to its listeners. It invites the audience to experience musical journeys of a different kind every time. With the dedication they have towards music, one can only say that the sky is the limit for Qafia, just like their anthem, Choo Le Aasmaan.