BeDesi/ Sharma And The Besharams - Indian folk-fusion

By Narendra Kusnur

Album: BeDesi (EP)
Artiste: Sharma And The Besharams
Genre: Indian folk-fusion
Label: Self-released
Rating: ****


She arrived on the scene in 2003 as part of Aasma, the Indipop quartet promoted by Channel V. After a stint at the Berklee School of Music, Boston, Vasuda Sharma focused on Indian folk-fusion. She's now formed the group Sharma And The Besharams (SATB), blending regional melodies, dialects and sounds with western arrangements.

SATB’s debut EP BeDesi was released on September 21. The four songs have a rustic Indian feel, but are blended naturally with modern sounds. Three of them have so far been released as videos, and whether you watch or listen to them, the tunes grow on you.

Sharma is accompanied by guitarist and banjo player Chaitanya Bhaidkar, keyboardist Jayakrishnan Unnithan, violinist Shravan Sridhar, bassist Chirayu Vedekar, flautist Rajat Prasanna and drummer Rahul Hariharan. The compositions are tight and the instruments flow seamlessly.

‘Ganga’, inspired by a Bhojpuri folk tune, has the lines “Ganga tori leher saveke man bhave.” The video has been shot live in a studio, and one sees crisp solos by each performer. The progressive and sweetly-sung ‘Rahiman’ starts off with the morchang, has a neat banjo back-up, and moves into smart electric guitar riffs and keyboard spells.

‘Bailgadi’, with a fun video to boot, blends Haryanvi folk with a dash of reggae. Starting with an infectious banjo, it has the lines “Mari bailgadi re mari bailgadi, Mercedes se bhi chokhi mari bailgadi”, aided by tight back-up vocals and a sudden twist in melodic theme towards the climax. Finally, ‘Jazbaa’ talks of developing the desire to win, with good use of the banjo, guitars and semi-rap interludes.

The good thing about BeDesi is that it’s crisp, compact and catchy, keeping the folk base intact throughout. Perhaps, a song or two more would have been ideal.