Chutney singer Krieshen Ramkhelawan, 44 visited India with his father Ramprasad Khelawan and two friends, Kries Poeran and Rajes Sewnandan. The musical group from Surinam came to India mainly to participate in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event in 2003.
In New Delhi's jam packed Kamani Auditorium the group has mesmerized audiences with their Chutney music.
Chutney music is basically a singing art form indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago and is popular for its hot, spicy rhythm. It was originally made popular by a group of ladies having a good time at weddings, births or get-togethers.
Chutney selections are sung on all sorts of subjects. They represent a kind of fusion music in which there are English and Hindi lyrics. Sundar Popo is known as the father of chutney music, ever since he made his debut in 1971 with anie and Nana. No one before him had dared to mix the racy rhythms of Indian folk songs with the pulsating vibrations of the soca, the beat of the calypso and the strains of the dholak.
Recalling the evolution of his interest in music, Ramkhelawan says: "As a boy, I used to go to the temple a lot. When I turned 12, I began singing bhajans there. My interest in music grew steadily and I stopped studying after high school to pursue music."
Saramacca, the Surinam district in which he grew up, did not boast of wonderful education either. Over the next many years, Ramkhelawan pursued his career in music seriously. His first hit album, released in 1975, had four baithak gana tracks.
Ramkhelawan is mainly interested in music styles that are fading away. "I hate those music styles and songs which are full of swearing," he admits rather quaintly. He released his first qawali album in 1981. It went on to become very popular. This inspired him to take the next step and start singing in Bhojpuri, as this style of music was almost forgotten in Surinam. This led to another hit album, Bhojpuri Bahaar.
"Bhojpuri is now a well known music style all over the Caribbean," he says. "I always try to reach out to a broad audience by singing in a variety of styles." He has even finished a three-year course in classical vocals at the Indian Cultural Centre there. However, he does not perform much in Surinam.
Interviewer Irfan
Text courtesy rediff.com
