¡°Aaj meri yaar ki Shaadi hai! Aaj Meri Yaar Ki Shaadi hai¡± the famous Bollywood number from the film Aadmi Sadak Ka released in 1977 is immortal, even after almost 40 years.
The song is so enthralling and captivating that no one ever, till date, has tried to re-mix the number. The song is on top of the most popular list and is an all time favourite as well. It is one of those peppy numbers that must be played in almost all Indian weddings. The beat is so captivating that it makes people of all age groups and gender to get their foot tapping.?
Not to forget many crazy dance moves are also associated with the song which is generally played by band?baaja-wallas?during?baraat?in wedding seasons. Even today no?baraat?is complete without the band party whose groove sets the trend for the evening!
From trumpets, trombones, brass horns, saxophones, side drums, dholkis, hand cymbals and sousaphones, the band baaja-wallas use a variety of musical instruments to create the perfect tune to make your dancing pants come on.
Walk down Mahatma Gandhi Road (M.G. Road) towards Howrah in Kolkata and you will find little shops dotting the pavements filled with a number of instruments, gaudy uniforms, snoring old men and practising youngsters. You are in Band Baaja Baraat country now. As we walk down the street, we can hear someone practising on the tambourine, some old Bollywood tune that only Band wallas would be most prone to remember. It sounds soothing amidst all the hustle and bustle of a busy city.
From the Bharat Band, Bengal Band, Punjab Band and other more non-descriptive shops, and quite a number of band shops later we reach our destination.
The most number of Band shops are dotted all across M.G. Road. Many of these shops have been there since before independence, a few of them have shut down, and the others are struggling to exist while even others are being run by the fourth or fifth generation of the family.
Umang Sharma
The famous Mahboob Band is the oldest among all. The owner of Mahboob Band, Shaukat Ali is the fourth generation man looking after the band shop here.
Talking about the history of band-wallas in Kolkata, the grey-bearded man, Shaukat Ali says, ¡°Most of the band shops at M. G. Road were set up during the British era.¡± However, all was not rosy, ¡°After years of entertaining families during all their joyous occasions, our road permit was cancelled during the former CPI-M government.¡±
However, Ali says that the Trinamool Congress has agreed for them to move on road without disturbing the traffic.
¡°There are around 40-45 band shops with 12 to 16 groups,¡± he says, adding, ¡°Earlier we had 150 to 200 people but now we have 30-35 people.¡±
While bands are all the rage during weddings and immersions, as soon as the festive season is over, most of them are forgotten into oblivion. ¡°We sell fruits, flowers, pull rickshaws, cycle vans in off season,¡± says Shaukat before adding, ¡°We feel sad that during season our art our creativity is appreciated and during the off season we are not treated anything more than a commoner.¡± He further adds, ¡°November to March is the season we are mostly called.¡±
¡°We carefully maintain our instruments and meet up for riyaz (practice sessions) almost every week. No one is selected by fluke, once the taleem is over, we select who is the best among the lot and then only they are allowed to come on board. Yes, earlier we had much more options, but we survive.¡± Most of the band baaja walas come from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and go home after the marriage season is over.
According to Shaukat demonitisation has largely impacted them.
Does not playing in marriages and being under appreciated get on their nerve sometimes? Shaukat allays such thoughts, ¡°See the thing is the band is not just a body of instrument players, rather, it is an emotion, to a large extent, a sense of nostalgia and good feeling. When we reach a wedding, the entire baraati get elated. They are there for a happy reason, and we add that skip to their steps. All that is needed is a slightly peppy tune and boots start shaking and hands start flowing in all direction. It is a herculean task in keeping the pace intact throughout, but that is what we do!
Off late, the trend of elaborate band formations and props has seen a downward trend with portable loudspeakers and lighting set ups getting a trendy preference.
Ask him if DJs are taking over the market, a stoic Shaukat says, ¡°DJs cater to only one generation, we are for all seasons. We spend hours training our members on various instruments, we get their uniform stitched and we hold regular practices. Everything has to be perfect. And let¡¯s face it, people still prefer shahnai. DJs are just a passing phase, Band culture will always stay.¡±
DJ's mix and match to give rhythm but band music is talent and is played from the heart. Band and DJ hold no comparison, asserts Shaukat Ali as he feels DJ only cater to a younger generation but a band is evergreen and makes everyone shake their feet.
Talking about DJ culture taking over band culture, Shaukat and other band shop owners said DJ music is good only at night clubs but band music has variety and its own charm. They feel that band can play both loud and soft music and cross section of songs.
Shaukat further says that elite people still want a band, nagaras, dhol for the wedding. Others add to Shaukat saying that dhol, nagaras are in great demand in today's wedding and people do not need to get high to dance to these tunes.
Talking about the future of band wallas, shop owners said, band, is evergreen and is immortal. ¡°Nothing can replace the band¡±, concludes Shaukat Ali.?