Beginning 2017, Bhagat recorded, translated and met folk artistes and singers who carry on this oral tradition — the only safekeepers of these songs. The filmmaker tells us that these songs became a mode of expression, particularly for women in the communities. The genre took on different forms like kajri (sung in the monsoon), ropni (sung during the planting of seeds) and jatsar (sung while working on the grind mill). “They form the barahmasa — songs for every month of the year — and were passed down as a tradition from mother to daughter and the daughter-in-law in the household,” he describes.

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Besides the Indian heartland, the influence of this folk music extends to Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Mauritius and Fiji, where the fourth and fifth generations of the early migrants reside.  Bhagat explains, “In Suriname, they speak Sarnami which has Hindi and Bhojpuri words. Reggae was assimilated into Bhojpuri music to create Chutney music in the Caribbean.” Time is slowly eroding the tradition of these folk songs. With a new generation moving away from the farms, or traditional grind mills, this music is fading away. This led to Bhagat’s new venture, The Bidesia Project, which documents the rare songs that capture the migrant culture through its lyrical and poetic form. “There is so much history to the folk forms. While there is an interest, the number of artistes who are familiar with this art form is reducing with every generation,” he says.

The tradition has continued in a different form. With migration still a major part of the heartland’s social life, new songs have emerged that capture similar themes of longing, separation and heartbreak. For now, Bhagat’s project seeks to find more of this subculture to archive it for posterity. “A lot more is yet to be discovered. I hope we can give these artistes a platform to rekindle memories of people through such music,” he adds.

On: Today; 7 pm
At: Veda Factory, Bungalow No. 120, Aram Nagar Part 2, Versova. 
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