For Delhi-based band Aaraa, performing at South Side Story recently was more than just another gig. It was a bucket-list moment, one the six-member outfit had spoken about since they first began jamming together.
Nearly two years later, they found themselves on the stage of one of India’s biggest festivals celebrating south Indian music and culture.
An alternative-progressive rock band Aaraa blends south Indian music, including Carnatic compositions, folk rhythms and film melodies with international rock influences.
The idea had been brewing in vocalist and frontman Vijesh Poolakkil’s mind since 2018. “But things finally started taking shape around 2024,” he says.
The first connection came through Instagram, where Vijesh discovered a video of guitarist Roshan Raju playing. Roshan introduced him to drummer Olive Regan, while keyboardist Aadithyan Ramanathan, bassist Ashwin and Akshay Pushpa Manoharan joined through their musical networks.
The six members come from diverse musical and professional backgrounds, but share a connection to their south Indian roots. Vijesh and Ashwin hail from Palakkad, Olive is half Malayali on his mother’s side, while Roshan and Akshay grew up in Malayali families in Delhi. Aadithyan, meanwhile, has Tamil roots.
Their musical training spans Carnatic and Hindustani classical music, Western vocals and rock instrumentation. While Roshan and Ashwin have pursued music professionally, others balance it with demanding careers.
Vijesh, the band’s founder, works as an associate director at an e-com firm.
Akshay remembers their first jam session vividly. “It was October 27 (in 2024), we talked and prepared a few songs before the actual meeting. By the time we started jamming, the sync was so good that it felt like we had been jamming together for the 10th or 15th time,” he recalls.
Over the next three to four months, the band gradually found its footing, performing at small venues, cafes and community events. Friends and family made up much of the audience at their early gigs, where they played predominantly south Indian songs, adding a few Hindi numbers to appeal to north Indian listeners.
“All this happened while we were discovering ourselves, exploring our own true identities. Hence, we named the bad ‘Aaraa’ — which means ‘Who?’.”
Akshay believes the growing popularity of south Indian music and fusion beyond the region “owes much to bands such as Aviyal, Agam, Raghu Dixit Project, and Thaikkudam Bridge, and, above all, A R Rahman”.
“Having grown up listening to Rahman’s music, audiences across languages are already familiar with several of his melodies. The language changes, but the music remains,” he says.
The band also credits artists such as Job Kurian and Sooraj Santhosh. “People in Delhi often mention these bands and artists to us. They are also the people who inspire us,” says Vijesh.
That influence is evident in Aaraa’s live repertoire. Rather than simply recreating familiar songs, the band reworks them, drawing on south India’s diverse musical heritage.
“We experiment with instruments such as the chenda, nadhaswaram and udukku, along with the Carnatic violin. Our keyboardist Aadithyan and guitarist Roshan play a key role in reworking the compositions,” Vijesh says.
The band now hopes to move beyond reinterpretations and establish its identity through original music. Its self-titled debut single titled ‘Aaraa’ explores the idea of finding oneself.
“The song is also an example of our sound. It is a mix of multiple influences… folk, rock and melody close to the ‘Keralam sound’,” says Akshay.
Interestingly, among their upcoming releases is ‘Aanavandi’, a track inspired by KSRTC and its place in everyday life, particularly in rural Kerala.
Another composition draws on ‘Manhichithrazhu’ legend Nagavalli’s love story with Ramanathan, while ‘Naadu Vittavan’ is conceived as an ode to those who migrated to other countries.
“We felt there was a gap in the indie music scene up north for music that brings together south Indian musical traditions and contemporary rock,” says Vijesh.
“We wanted to create something rooted in our language and culture, adding a touch of alternative rock, and take that sound to a wider audience.”
With their next gig lined up at Delhi’s Hard Rock Cafe, Aaraa are looking to take the ‘south side’ vibes beyond the south.