You could be getting a plate of hot bajjis when you spot four boys step off a vehicle holding a bright red logo. With just their instruments as ‘luggage’ for this road trip, the band makes a stage out of the streets. Meet Oorka, the impromptu band. With Bharath Sankar on the vocals and keys, J C on the guitar, Pradeep Kumar on the bass and Tapass Naresh on the drums, Oorka take rock music to a whole new level.
Like the name, the band makes some spicy music by fusing rock with Tamil, giving it a kitschy, earthy tone. “It was easy for us to meet and jam daily. When Bharath started writing songs, he jammed with anyone present. Slowly, the number grew and Oorka was formed. Despite the four men having wildly different tastes in music, they manage to strike a chord when they’re together. “Our lyrics are in colloquial Tamil and that helps in connecting with people. We’ve had people of all ages quoting lines from the song. Everybody understands it,” they said.
Oorka believes that music is about the art. Bringing back the tradition of the ancient bards, the band takes mini-tours, travelling to suburbs and villages equipped only with guitars and a trusty cajon. “We stop at any place we want to and play our music. Such tours help us to break down barriers and take our music to their doors. Music spreads through word of mouth,” they said, keeping publicity far away from their notes.
The band built to a crescendo after releasing their first Tamil Rock album - Oorka! The album had a unique ‘name your price’ hook online, where fans could stamp the price tag for their purchase. And boy, did Tamilians take pride in it.
People from various countries supported and bought the album. “We’ve been receiving messages from people living in Germany, USA, Malaysia, Singapore and more showing us love and support,” said the band, whose track ‘Peraasai’ was aired as the ‘Track of the Week’ on BBC Radio Asian Network, London.
Getting listeners to crank up their radios was inevitable, when their music had a definite focus. “Our music is about you, we and us. We are only here to provide entertainment, and we’re glad we do it quite phenomenally,” they said, when asked about how successful they were in reaching the audience.
What’s in a name
Oorka is the short form of ‘Oorukaaga’ which means ‘For the people’. Oorka can also be interpreted as pickle. That way, the name reaches the people easily.
Reach Out: www.oorka.bandcamp.com