Maithili on the Rock Stage

The oeuvre of popular poet Nagarjunas poetry has always been known for its revolutionary philosophy,apart from forming the bedrock for Hindi poetrys literary tradition.

The oeuvre of popular poet Nagarjunas poetry has always been known for its revolutionary philosophy,apart from forming the bedrock for Hindi poetrys literary tradition. But when Manish J Tipu,a young boy from Bihar,was growing up in the narrow lanes of Patna,he had no idea that the man who was a fixture at the dinner table in his house was a poet par excellence and the world knew him as Nagarjuna. For me,he was my grandfathers best friend and I would call him nana. The fact that he was the epitome of Hindi poetry struck me later, says Tipu,now 33.

These days,Tipu the lead singer and multi-percussionist of a three-year-old Mumbai-based band,Just Folk Kit (JFK) is busy giving a spin to the classic poetry by the peoples poet,and setting it to a sound,which is a blend of various Indian folk sounds along with jazz and soft rock,at the bands studio in Versova,Mumbai.

The band with Atanu Gautam on lead and rhythm guitars,Rakshit Thantaoi on bass,Ajit Singh Rathore on percussion and Brince Bora on keys,harmonium and tribal flute will release their debut album in May,which will be available for free download. Gone are the days when people bought CDs. It is better to put it all out in a space where its accessible to everybody, says Tipu.

The sound of the album is predominantly folk,but touches upon other genres such as jazz,alternative rock and funk. All of us are from places that are rich in folk music. Also,we are all trained in some form of western music. So when we jam together,these influences come into play, adds Gautam.

From Nagarjunas scathing spoof on the Statue of Liberty,titled Liberty Maiya,in Maithili to his patriotic poem called Antim Pranam and Ki Lal,JFK is sticking to the lyrics the way they are and not turning them around to suit the tune and club audiences. This is legendary poetry from the 40s and 50s,which is known to have inspired people to revolt against the powerful. Some of them are war cries. The best part is that it is still relevant today, says Tipu,who has also composed scores for films such as Phas Gaye Re Obama and Antardwand in the past,apart from assisting music composer Pritam in films such as Dhoom,Gangster and Jab We Met.

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Nagarjuna

Maithili on the Rock Stage

The oeuvre of popular poet Nagarjunas poetry has always been known for its revolutionary philosophy,apart from forming the bedrock for Hindi poetrys literary tradition.

The oeuvre of popular poet Nagarjunas poetry has always been known for its revolutionary philosophy,apart from forming the bedrock for Hindi poetrys literary tradition.