Their USP sets them apart from the clutter of new-age bands.
Maadal is Kolkata's first all-woman band offering a history lesson with a beat, focusing exclusively on folk music and rustic sounds of Dhol, Khanjira, Dotara and Flute, which has became part of the signature Maadal soundscape.
The group's members, who are all mostly in their 50s, were worried of being too ahead of their time when they first got together in 2002.
The band's manager, Sampa, explains that the songs the band sings is in a dialect called Sylheti, which is not easy to understand. In order to overcome the language barrier, the group would explain a bit of context to each song they would perform, which turned out to be a success. Their USP set them apart from the new age bands.
The group's name, Madaal, was also well chosen. Maadal comes from ‘maa’ meaning woman and ‘dal’ means group. It is also the name of a traditional Percussion instrument that is popular in parts of India and Nepal.
Read an excerpt:
The challenges
There is a lot of joy in being together. The advantages are much more than the disadvantages, they say. What keeps them together is their passion for quality music. They have faced situations where if they had reduced the number of musicians or instruments, they could get more shows. “But, we will never compromise like that. The quality of the songs performed is of utmost importance to us. We are like original linen. Synthetic is more popular because it’s cheap, easily maintainable and durable. But linen has its own class,” says Sikha, one of the memebers of the band.
Since most of these songs are passed on orally, the band has a crucial task of preserving it for posterity. On their travels, they also collect songs. This means patiently sifting through modified versions till they find the original form and then learning it.
When asked why girl bands do not last, Sikha reasons that women have to take care of many things — family, children. Many families do not accept their women to come back home late after performing in stage shows. “That is why some of our earlier team members had to leave,” she says.
You can read the complete article about Maadal's musical journey here
To catch the Life Is Music webisodes and interesting updates about all things music, follow www.lifeismusic.in
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}