Back in 2012, when five students decided to take the stage to perform at the freshers' party in their college [Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida], they decided to stick with the quirky name—‘Chaar Hazari’—that they gave their band on a whim.
“The drum kit that we had hired for the show cost us Rs 4,000,” they share. With Yatindra Mohan Patel on vocals (he is also a guitar player, composer and lyricist for the band); Utkarsh Mallik on keyboards and backing, Archit Agrawal on bass, Shivit Prasanna on flute, and Ranajoy Das on the drums, this city-based contemporary Hindi folk rock band has been creating music that have an upbeat, groovy rhythm to it. In this interview, the band tells us about their inception, the motivation behind their songs, and more.
Excerpts…
You released an acoustic version of Rubaroo, a track from your eponymous debut album, in February this year. What was the process of working on it like?
Rubaroo has been one of the most prominent and one of the audience’s favourite numbers from our debut album. Just to refresh the original feeling and give our audience a new form of this track, we decided to create an acoustic version of the original. It was a fun experience—throughout the recording and the release process. We never thought that we would be reworking on our old original to release an acoustic version of the same.
There is a very playful and comforting vibe to your tracks…
All our tracks from Udne Do [album released in 2021] are very personal and have a special emotion attached to it. While this album has more of a happy and motivational vibe, it carries a very special message with it and has an optimistic approach towards life and the challenges. We never believed in intentional songwriting. Most of our songs are relatable and expressed in easy words. We believe in giving a good happy experience through our music.
What is the biggest challenge you face as independent musicians?
Over the past decade, the indie scene has reasonably taken a new turn where many people are reconsidering their listening behaviour and searching for new underground artists to explore fresh music and hidden talent. Being an independent band, we always have a DIY mindset. Having full control over your content-creating process and delivering it to the right kind of audience makes it both unique and challenging. Every song needs equal attention in every step—be it audio quality, production, or promotions.
‘Rubaroo’ is streaming on all major platforms