Fewer opportunities force musicians to leave Kolkata

Kolkata has long been known as the cultural capital of India, but has the city managed to hold on to its own talents? Be it indie music, commercial music, experimental music, rock ’n’ roll or eastern classical, the city has produced some of the best musicians in each genre. However, in recent times, the soundscape of Kolkata seems to be changing faster than its landscape what with many musicians moving to Mumbai and other parts of the country.Years back, Lakkhichhara vocalist Subhajit and Som Dasgupta of Hip Pocket moved to Maximum City with dreams in their eyes and several performers like Neel Adhikari and Lagnajita Chakraborty followed suit in recent times. Is it disillusionment with Kolkata’s music scene that’s leading to an exodus? CT tunes in.
HEAR THEM OUT
“Music is not just art; it is also lifestyle for us. If there is no support system, how are they going to carry on?” asks Amyt Datta, who has witnessed the many ups and downs of the music industry and feels that the scene is going from bad to worse. He says, “Many young talents come to me for guitar lessons but for the lack of money in the industry, most opt for white-collar jobs. They know that they cannot survive.” Datta, however, is not confident about what Mumbai has on offer. “It’s a myth that Mumbai is a better city; if you consider music, it is bad everywhere in this country. Yes, you can do other stuff in the name of music and earn enough to live a decent life in Mumbai. Jingles give you money, not pleasure. I have seen talented musicians going to Mumbai to work on background score, jingles, web series but they are not themselves anymore. I didn’t do that. I am still here, doing my music that comes from within,” he says.

Drummer Gaurab Chatterjee aka Gabu admits that it is tough for full-time musicians to survive in Kolkata. “Either you relocate or take up projects in other cities, keeping your base here. One cannot just depend on the work that Kolkata is churning out.” Gabu feels that Kolkata is a better place to work. “Mumbai has money. Apart from it, the other cities are not that great for musicians. Kolkata, that way, is a much better place to work in terms of creativity. At the same time, we must welcome new talent. It is the musicians’ responsibility to be a little more open about different things, which I think we are still not,” he reflects.
THE ONES WHO LEFT THE CITY
The artistes who shifted, did so for their undying passion for music. Some made a huge impact, while others are still struggling. Aditya Shankar, a 30-year-old guitarist from Kolkata, is currently playing with Arijit Singh. He tasted success after joining Euphoria. Aditya tells us, “I moved to Mumbai about six years ago. The opportunities are fewer in Kolkata, whereas Mumbai is very professional and more commercial.” And even if Kolkata musicians do interesting projects, they lag behind in promotions. “Here, music channels give a platform to young talents, there is nothing like that in Kolkata. Even radio stations don’t support indie music,” he says. Aditya, who will move to Los Angeles soon, says, “I cannot settle for less work and, hence, don’t think I will be able to return to Kolkata. As of now, I am planning to go to Los Angeles for some interesting projects.”

Rhythm Shaw, another popular guitarist from Kolkata moved to Mumbai last year and is now collaborating with AR Rahman. “Ranjit Barot, on his trip to Kolkata, asked me to come down to Mumbai to record a song with him. Next, I got the offer to perform with none other than AR Rahman! Mumbai is indeed the hub of music,” says a happy Shaw. The guitarist also got paid seven times more than what he would get in Kolkata. Talking about the City of Joy, he adds, “The city is full of talented musicians but few push the boundaries. They don’t want to go commercial and, hence, the masses don’t know them. That’s also why musicians don’t earn enough.”

Neel Adhikari of the famous indie band, Neel and the Lightbulbs, moved to Mumbai last August. He feels Kolkata is going through a rough patch as the audience with purchasing power is splurging on everything but music. “Listeners should start paying for the consumption of music. That way,
they can encourage musicians to grow. Musicians also should take the risk of coming out of their comfort zones, which I did.” On the many misconceptions in the music industry, he says, “In Kolkata, they feel background score is just an add-on and pay less for it. I am interested in background score and in Mumbai, I have already done the music for several web series. Mumbai is not just about Bollywood. It has a lot more to offer.” Neel also believes that Kolkata has repeatedly failed to use its talents, “Talents like Miti Adhikari and others should be used for the betterment of the music scene of Kolkata.” Neel admits that after Ronodeep Bose’s accident, the band has not been able to work properly. “I moved to Mumbai with a heavy heart. However, I don’t have plans to return. I will use talents from my city as much as possible, but I am happy in Mumbai, both creatively and economically.”

Playback singer Lagnajita Chakraborty also moved to Mumbai recently. She says the work in Kolkata wasn’t enough for her. “People knew me back home, but I came here to start from scratch as the amount of work I was getting in Kolkata was not enough to fulfil my creative needs.” Kolkata, she feels, is yet to wake up to newer avenues. “I love jingles and could do nothing about it in Kolkata. In Mumbai, the options are way more,” she says. About her own assignments in Kolkata, Lagnajita says, “I am still getting work from Kolkata and people back home keep songs for me. I have a few commercial projects at hand.”
Soumyadeep Sikdar, of The Murshidabadi Project, started his musical journey from Kolkata but eventually shifted base to Mumbai. “I was doing Bengali songs and very region-specific music. Even then, my work gained popularity only after moving to Mumbai. It sounds weird but the work was so less and the independent music scene was so bad that I had to think of shifting,” he says. Sikdar says money is the prime reason for moving out. “Musicians too need to pay their bills and keep the kitchen fire burning. The money was so little in Kolkata that it was impossible for me to survive there. On the other hand, Mumbai offered many more opportunities. Though The Murshidabadi Project has its roots in Bengal, it gained popularity after I shifted.”
SAVE THE MUSIC SCENE
The lack of live show venues is yet another reason for musicians to leave the city for good. Aditya says, “More live show venues are needed and along with that, the film industry needs to come forward to pick new talents.”
Amyt Dutt feels government intervention is the need of the hour. “Either the government comes to us or we must go and meet the authorities to find a way out. I think we need external support from either the government or corporates to reduce the economic trauma,” he says, adding, “The tragedy is, music lovers cannot afford pricey beers and those who can, do not understand music. So, live shows are not enough to revive the scene.” Gabu, on his part, says, “Music should not be concentrated within a few known circles and sponsors should come forward to revive the scene. We are losing many good musicians and the music scene will get boring in no time; we
must take corrective measures
immediately.”
— Shrutanwita Chakraborty