The lead duo of The Miliputs band opens up about their new release and other ventures
We caught up with Sharoni Poddar and Debmalya Dey, the lead duo of The Miliputs band, who talk about their various promising musical enterprises, apart from giving us a glimpse of their new song that’s releasing this month.
Excerpts:
Tell us about your music release.
Sharoni: We are releasing Bunoswopno on May 16. It’s a song about love. I wrote it during the pandemic, when even people in the same city couldn’t meet for days. That’s when a connection with nature was forged, knowing that we share the same sky and moonlight. The vocals are written and composed by me, with the music arrangements done by the bandmates— Debmalya and Samiran Sadhak on guitars, Krishanu Halder on bass, and Debasish Das on drums.
What made you venture into Akupara gig bags?
Debmalya: Back in 2015, I bought an expensive guitar and searched throughout the city for a reliable, protective bag. I found none and decided to develop one myself; then I realised the dearth of proper gig bags in the city. I developed 1 5 – 2 0 bags , but local stores rejected the idea, saying the price was too high. Now our bags are used all over India, with growth driven largely by word of mouth. We started the project in 2018 and formalised the production in 2021. We have bags for guitars, bass, electric guitars, keyboards, cymbals, processors, etc. In 2024, we started introducing some colours too. In the future, we want to develop it further, make it more roadworthy, a lightweight version, with inbuilt de-humidifier and some other plans.
You opened your studio recently. Tell us about that.
Sharoni: As musicians, we have to visit studios and work with a lot of people. The wavelength does not always match. Also, song mixing is very personal. We wanted to work as music producers, and that’s why a lot of musicians are coming to the studio, recording, and mixing their music. Our music is completely done in our studio.
Debmalya: Since we design and build studios through our venture, Al l about Acoustics, our own studio is like a practical visual guide for others.
How are your rehearsal pads helping emerging musicians?
Debmalya: There are rehearsal pads in Kolkata, but people are not aware of them, or they lose interest as they have to travel far to reach a jamming pad. We of ten faced delays because there weren’t enough accessible rehearsal spaces. When we developed the jam pad (studio space) last year at Lake Gardens, it was to raise the standards. We also give it on rent to other musicians. We ask for a tech rider so that we can give them what they need.
Sharoni: In regular jam pads, when every musician plays at full volume, it takes a toll on our ears. When we want to implement technical upgrades into our performances, we need rehearsals with all the latest upgrades too, which are lacking in today’s jam pads. Some of the issues we faced were good acoustics and upgraded equipment like monitors.