If there is one art form that is the harbinger of change then it has to be music. Almost all social change movements of the last century have had at their centre a music that symbolized the dreams of the men and women who shaped these movements.

Music is also a rehearsal of change, a cultural expression of values and beliefs that may still face resistance in our social lives but exist as dreams waiting to become a reality tomorrow.

Rock The Boat has been organised with the thought that it is now possible to build an alliance of boys and men who take a stand to prevent gender-based violence. We live in a world that is witnessing an alarming increase in violence and if we implicate gender into reading this violence, the dominant image would be of men at the centre of most violence. Masculinity is the mechanism through which men gain privileges. However, this distribution of privileges for accepting the dominant values of masculinities is hierarchical and besides women, men who are on the lower rungs of patriarchy too find themselves at the receiving end of the more aggressive and violent masculinity.

Music has for long been carrying messages against violence, can it now take the next turn and talk about masculinities? Can it persuade boys and men to look into their own lives and more importantly can it provide a platform for a collective voice of men and women, boys and girls, together asserting that gender based violence can no longer be tolerated? Can it give a rhythm to the questions that are already being posed?

The musicians who have come together for this concert have been consistently responding to what they see around them through their music. They are known not only for the music they produce, but also for the stands they have taken, for the questions they have raised and for the strength of their conviction – that music can challenge injustice and open up a world of possibilities.

Rock The Boat is being organised as part of a series of events to generate a discussion on masculinities and build partnerships with boys and men to prevent gender-based violence.

Rahul Roy / Juhi Jain / Uma Tanuku

Aakar

www.southasianmasculinities.org

Bangla, Bangladesh

Bangla, a leading contemporary fusion band from Bangladesh merges Bengali folk songs with western music. Formed in 1998, the Band has brought in a unique sound to the music of Bangladesh – a blend of folk, Baul and western jazz-rock.

Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, trained in classical music, fine arts, filmmaking, animation and an Esraj player, started the Band. Anusheh Anadil, the lead singer of Bangla has trained in Indian classical music under Ustad Sagiruddin Khan – the sarangi maestro and Kalpana Bhattacharya of the Agra gharaana. She went on to learn Baul music under Kangalini Sufia and Rob Fakir. Faizan Ahmad Buno, Bangla’s Bassist is a musician, sound engineer and a photographer. Al Fahmi Kazi Bashar Kaartik – Bangla’s lead guitarist and Dotara player is a member of Prachyanat, a popular experimental theatre group of Dhaka. Nazrul Islam is the finest Dhol artist of Bangladesh and Tarek Bin Taher Akhanji Jibon is a drummer.

Bangla is acclaimed for its performances in Bangladesh and across the globe. They performed recently at Rostock, Germany along with musicians such as Bono (U2) and Bob Geldof, at the Your Voice Against Poverty concert.

Bangla’s debut album, Kingkortobbobimuroh, is one of the highest selling albums in Bangladesh. Their second album Prottutponnomotitto spoke out against the rise of fundamentalism in Bangladesh and was well received. The album produced in collaboration with musicians from England is a tribute to Fakir Lalon Shai.

BANGLA

ANUSHEH ANADIL

Lead Vocalist & Mondira

SHAYAN CHOWDHURY (ARNOB)

Vocals & Guitar

FAIZAN RASHID AHMAD (BUNO)

Bass, Vocals & Guitar

AL FAHMI KAZI BASHAR (KAARTIK)

Guitar, Vocals & Dotara

NAZRUL ISLAM

Dhol

TAREK BIN TAHER AKHANJI (JIBON)

Drums

Nepathya, Nepal

Nepathya is a popular Nepalese music Band formed in 1990 by Deepak Rana, Bhim Pun and Amrit Gurung, in Pokhara, Nepal. The Band is best known for its blending of folk melodies into new, youth-friendly pop and rock tunes. Since 1994, Nepathya has gained consistent popularity and recognition as musicians giving a face and voice to innocent victims of violence. Nepathya’s songs portray contemporary Nepal – it’s pain in times of war and distress, tinged with a hope for a better future. Nepathya has released seven albums: Nepathya (1991), Himal chuchure (1993), Min pachas ma (1995), Shringar (1997), Resham (2001) and Bheda ko oon jasto (2003) and Ghatana … incidents of Nepal (2005).

The Band has many performances devoted to social causes to its credit, nationally and internationally. The Band has been actively involved in Shanti Ko Lagi Sikchya, an Education for Peace Concert Tour consecutively for two years in 2002 and 2004. After the enforcement of the State of Emergency in 2001, political unrest entered schools thus directly affecting the education of children. Nepathya at this point initiated a concert tour, with the slogan – Education for Peace, advocating for a violence free environment in schools. All funds collected were donated to public schools in the venue cities for building libraries.

Another prominent initiative of Nepathya is Sundar Shanta Nepal – Shanti Sangeet Yatra 2059, which is a travelling Peace Concert organized in 2005 and 2006. During this highly appreciated tour, the Band performed Open Air concerts for 14 days in 2005 and 17 days in 2006. Some of the performances were broadcast live on Local Radio and TV channels for mass outreach and to create a social impact.

The Band has organized a series of six Nepathya for All concerts to support shelter homes and rehabilitation centres for the differently abled and for people with special needs.

NEPATHYA

AMRIT GURUNG Band leader,
Vocals

HARI MAHARJAN Lead Guitar

NIKHIL TULADHAR Percussion

SURAJ THAPA Keyboard

SUBIN SHAKYA Bass Guitar

KIRAN KRISHNA SHRESTHA Team Leader – Nepa~laya

TEJ LIMBU Sound Engineer

Musadiq Sanwal, London, UK / Lahore, Pakistan

Musadiq Sanwal, a musician and journalist from Pakistan was born in the ancient city of Multan, South Punjab.

For the past 20 years he has been a media practitioner and continues to pursue music.

Since the early eighties he has been singing and composing songs of Punjabi and Saraiki Sufis, the poet- musicians of the valley of Indus. Mainly self taught, his singing style has the flavour of the popular raags of rural Sindh and Punjab.

He is a co-founder of Matteela, a website for photography, music, film, art and literature based in Lahore.

Musadiq Sanwal has lived in Lahore, Karachi, Boston and London.

Accompanied By

IDRIS KHAN Tabla

SALAMAT KHAN Harmonium

SUBHASH SINGH Rhythm Guitar

VIJAY SACHDEVA Bass guitar

Ustad Naseeruddin Saami comes from the Qawwal bacha dilli family. His guru was Munshi Raziuddin under whom he started training in 1957, but it was not until 1977 that the master recognised Ustad Saami as his shagird. Besides his impressive background and startling style what is actually captivating is the stillness in his voice. The content of his singing with the emphasis on the purity of sur is almost extinct in the music scene of Pakistan.

Ustad Saami is a strict follower in the style of his family tradition-keeping sur as the most important component of his singing. His singing is peaceful and calm. Heartfelt rendition of the raga, manifesting the emotions, which are mentioned in the bandish, is one of the main aspects of Khayal Gayaki, in which he excels. He shows his versatility by also singing Sadara, Thumri, Tarana, Dadra and Ghazal in the Khllm.

His performances abroad, especially in Delhi and Bombay have brought Ustad Saami recognition and fame. The Society of Classical Arts, Pakistan is bringing out a collection of Ustad Saami’s renditions and has also set up the Farid Gunj Shakar Academy of Music in Lahore. Ustad Saami is reintroducing the purity of sur as the basis of singing to students who are learning music here.

Accompanied By

MOHAMMAD RAUF SAAMI

MOHAMMAD UROOJ KHAN

Soulmate, Shillong, India

Soulmate formed seven years ago in Shillong by Rudy Wallang (Bluesguitar player, songwriter and singer) and Tipriti ‘Tips’ Kharbangar (Blues Singer and guitar player) is the best known Blues Band of India.

The Band was created with the desire to promote the Blues genre of music and for fulfilling the passionate involvement of the artists with Blues. When often asked by people, why they chose the Blues…their answer is – ‘we didn’t choose the Blues...the Blues chose us!’

Over the years Soulmate has carved a niche for itself in India and abroad, having to their credit over 250 performances. They performed at the International Jazzmandu Festival at Kathmandu in the years 2004 and 2005. The Band also performed as semi-finalists at The Rum Boogie Café (Blues Club of The Year) on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, USA in February 2007 alongside 150 other bands and musicians from all over the world. This was at the 23^rd International Blues Challenge contest organized by The Blues Foundation of America. Soulmate has the distinction of being the first and only Blues Band ever to represent India in this International Blues Challenge! Soulmate was also a part of Roots On The Move Festival, 2007 during which they performed concerts and conducted workshops all over the North East of India.

Soulmate also sings for social causes. They contributed – I See A Light in the album, Keep The Promise, produced by the Thomson Foundation for an AIDS awareness campaign. Recently, the Band released an album

titled Shillong and is in the process of recording their second album. Shillong has been voted the number one original album in the Rock/Blues category, with the song I Am presently being played on one of the music channels regularly.

SOULMATE

TIPRITI “TIPS’ KHARBANGAR

Vocals, Guitar

RUDY WALLANG Guitar, Vocals

SAM SHULLAI Drums

FERDY DKHAR Bass Guitar