Naren's indie round-up/ March 2026, Ep 1


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Antariksh/ Naaqis

Language & genre: Hindi, rock

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Delhi band Antariksh teams up with Polish guitarist Jakub Zyteki and sarangi exponent Momin Khan on its new song 'Naaqis', part of its forthcoming album Rehguzar.

The song blends progressive rock styles with Indian classical elements, provided through the sarangi. Lead vocalist and songwriter Varun Rajput sings, "Chaaron aur bas dhuan hi dhuan, reh na jaaye adhuri dastaan, oonchi lehren aur gehra dariya, kashti hamaari doobi jaaye re". While Shrikant Biswakarma and Varun do most of the guitar parts, Jakub comes up with a sizzling solo.

The song talks of betrayal and disillusionment, along with the determination needed to move forward. Using AI, Ishita Singh's black n' white video depicts a boat in troubled waters. It's a classy production, both aurally and visually.

Singing Saints/ Jhini Re Jhini 

Language & genre: Hindi (old), bhajan

Produced by: Eastern Harmony & Vrindavan Gurukul

Rating; *** 1/2

Singing Saints comprise a group of youngsters who present the work of saint poets to a younger audience through a contemporary sound. After recently performing at NMACC, they have released their version of Kabir's classic 'Jhini Re Jhini'.

Naturally, this rendition is uptempo, using pop vocals, jazzy keyboards and rock-styled guitars. The singers, in alphabetical order, are Anjana Padmanabhan, Ayesha Mukherjee, Renee Chaurasia, Reeshabh Purohit, Shaheen Khan, Shehnaz Khan and Swar Sharma.

The song has been set to music by Gulraj Singh, with Shon Pinto on guitars. The video has a vibrant, youthful and colourful look that goes with the tune.

Bharat Chandak/ Firki

Language & genre: Hindi, love song

Label: Molla, first.wav

Rating: ***

Here's a cute love song that's aimed at the younger lot. What adds to the charm of 'Firki' is the Indianness of the video, complete with saree and kajras.

Bharat Chandak, who's also composed and written the song, uses metaphors to address a partner as he sings, "Yeh kajra aankhon mein jaise teri aa basa haay rabba, dekho tujhpe kaise chaa gaya".

It's got a neat melody, and the video by Dar Gai tells its story convincingly, as she travels through flower markets, Horniman's Circle and Oval Maidan with Bharat and Bhagyashree Limaye making a good pair.

Masrat Un Nissa, Arif Mir/ Faslun Ka Takalluf

Language & genre; Urdu, namaste

Label: Renzu Music

Rating: *** 1/2

Singer Masrat Un Nissa was in the news last year for her tunes in Songs Of Paradise, a film inspired by the life of legendary vocalist Raj Begum. While those songs were in Kashmiri, her latest single comes in the form of the Urdu naat 'Faslun ko Takalluf'.

Masrat has a powerful voice, and her invocation of 'Allah' opens the song. Then she sings, "Faaslun ko takalluf hamse hai agar, hum bhi bebas nahin besahara nahin, khud hi ko pukaarenge hum door se, raaste mein agar paanv thak jaayenge".

The song has been composed by Arif Mir and written by Iqbal Azeem, with subtle use of orchestration and harmonies. The naat has been recorded by others but Masrat's rendition has its own charm.

Saroj Kashyap/ Moda

Language & genre: English/ Kannada, dream-pop

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

On her new single 'Moda', Bengaluru singer Saroj Kashyap blends English words with Kannada lines and Indian classical elements. The song has a dream pop vibe, with Saroj singing in both languages.

Navya Rudrappa plays the sitar, and the instrument has a soothing part to conclude the song. Kannada lyrics are by Deepa Baraati.

Saroj has a pleasant voice and an ability to blend styles smoothly. She plans more songs with classical flavours. Looking forward.



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