In her latest track Nundbane from her album Sounds of Kashmir, Aabha Hanjura presents the rich culture of her homeland in a unique way. The Bangalore-based singer and founder of the 6-year-old eclectic band Sufistication, melds the rustic folk music of Kashmir with modern pop notes in this popular poem penned down by Mahmud Gami. Hanjura, whose previous song Hukus Bukus made it to Manoj Bajpayee starrer web series The Family Man, talks about adding different layers to the music of the song, turning into a raconteur with her craft and more. Excerpts:
Tell us about Nundbane.
Nundbane literally means the apple of my eye or my beautiful one. This song is about love and it’s a sweet romantic song that is sung in the valleys of Kashmir and was written by this poet called Mahmud Gami. I have been singing it since I was a child.
When was song conceived?
The idea of this single was conceived while I was working on the album. Every single song in the album has something that means very deeply to me. So, while Hukus Bukus takes me to my childhood, Khanmoejko Koor is laced with emotions when I got married. Again, Roshewalla tells the story of Kashmiris away from home. With Nundbane I have tried to give tribute to love as it is felt in the valleys because love is the only thing that brings everyone together.
What are the instruments that have been used in this song?
Since I work on folk music, my songs are rooted in the culture of the land. The album Sounds of Kashmir has instruments like Rubab, Santoor, Tabla, Dhol, Acoustic guitar and Mandolin. There are layers and layers of authentic string instruments in each song. The idea behind the sound very essentially was to create very cool pop music inspired by the rustic folk instruments of the valley because I find my inspiration in those instruments. It is also the way I perform the song live so the audience gets to hear the same thing on the record.
Tell us about the music video.
We shot it in Jaipur as it is the most culturally vibrant and vivacious city. The sound of Nundbane itself has ‘Mitti Ki Khushboo’ you know what they say.
What’s next after Nundbane?
I have a lot of interesting projects coming up and I am excited about their release.