BHUBANESWAR: On Sunday evening, people of Bhubaneswar were unified by the ‘desi zubaan’ of Kavish Seth. Regardless of their age, they connected to the tunes of the Hindi songwriter and singer as he weaved the magic of his ‘indie’ music at a hall packed with people from all walks of life, gathered to witness the seventh edition of Odisha Literary Festival 2018 organised by The New Indian Express.
As Kavish walked onto the stage holding his self-crafted musical instrument ‘Noori’, little did the audience know what was in store for them. Soon they were mesmerised by his high-pitched songs laced with hard-hitting messages on contemporary India and life. He belted out melodious tunes from Noori that had the sweetness of a sarod, could match the guitar riffs and resembled a drum too!
His songs were themed around a variety of subjects. With his ‘desi zubaan’, he touched upon a variety of issues like dominance of English language in the country, class-divide, independence and love. Though the subjects were serious, his songs dealt with those in a fun-filled manner. Presenting his independent philosophy of life, he crooned “hukam ki nahi chalegi meri duniya me (I will not yield to orders).”
For youngsters, he presented a humorous composition titled ‘mohabbat ke gaane nahi gayenge hum (we will not sing songs of love).’ “This song is for jilted lovers, who have been listening to Arijit Singh’s songs after a break-up. It is a rebellious anthem for them,” he said. Reflecting on a society obsessed with English, Kavish crooned: “Hindi bolo toh bole hai gawar hai (If you speak in Hindi, you are labelled illiterate).”
The songwriter, an alumni of IIT-Bombay, who is gaining fast-popularity among youngsters across the country was once labelled as a bad writer. “When I was in school, my teachers used to complain that my writings were abrupt and absurd. However, I always had the desire to write. I didn’t know how to be a writer,” he recollected.
After suffering from chronic laryngitis at IIT, Kavish decided to start writing poems and songs as he had lost the ability to sing. “It all started in a random manner. I used to scribble my thoughts anywhere and everywhere. I was chasing my thoughts, even while I was dreaming. Soon, I started finding rhythm and connections in these random thoughts,” he added.
During the Anna Hazare movement, he met the masses. “They don’t speak English. My proximity to the masses made me realise that an average Indian resides within me. I started writing in Hindi,” he said. No wonder, why the writer sings: “Insano se milte milte mein insaan ban jata hu...Mein jaise log hote hain waise ho jate hun