Nirali Kartik and Kartik Shah of MaatiBaani, catch up with Indulge on Valentine’s Day!

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, when love is usually boxed into roses, playlists and perfectly timed Instagram posts, MaatiBaani arrive with a far more expansive idea of romance. For them, love is not just about candlelit dinners or heart-shaped clichés — it is about shared journeys, creative disagreements, musical discoveries and the quiet, everyday act of choosing each other, again and again. It is about sound, soul and surrender. And perhaps that is what makes Nirali Kartik and Kartik Shah — partners in life and music — such a compelling duo to celebrate on a day devoted to love.

We first came across this band 14 years ago, when Mitwa released. The single that has gone on to garner more than 1.2 million views on YouTube alone, was followed by Baawariya, a single that also featured Shankar Tucker, a name well-familiar with indie music lovers in India. This track also garnered more than 1.5 million views and was followed by probably the band’s most iconic number, Tore Matware Naina feat Joyshanti that was also released as Theerathu Poga Poga Vaanam in Tamil in the same year. Both songs were used in the OSTs of Bejoy Nambiar’s David released simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil in 2013. Since then, the band has released several more hit singles.

MaatiBaani consists of hindustani vocalist Nirali Kartik and award-winning composer and music producer Kartik Shah. Together, they have collaborated with more than 200 musicians across the globe from over 30 countries, including Inner Mongolia, Israel, the USA and several parts of Europe. Their sound — a heady mix of India’s rare folklore and classical traditions blended with funk, blues and contemporary textures — has helped them carve a space that feels deeply rooted yet joyfully borderless.

At the heart of MaatiBaani’s music is contrast. Nirali’s hindustani roots and kartik’s nomadic musical vision have shaped a distinct folk-pop sound that feels both ancient and playful. India’s rich musical heritage — from classical maestros to vernacular poetry — forms the backbone of their work, but their approach ensures the music remains accessible and emotionally resonant for audiences across the world. Whether through Hindi, Gujarati, Sindhi or Rajasthani voices, their songs create a multilingual, multicultural listening experience that feels inclusive rather than overwhelming.

Their journey has also been defined by curiosity and generosity. Over the years, MaatiBaani have been instrumental in discovering folk musicians from interior villages across India and bringing them into the spotlight through live performances and recordings. They were also among the first artistes to collaborate with musicians entirely over the internet, long before remote collaborations became the norm. This innovative, open-hearted approach has taken them to global platforms such as TED and INK — spaces where ideas, much like their music, are meant to travel freely.

It feels fitting, therefore, to talk about love through their lens — not just romantic love, but the love that fuels creation, collaboration and community. We caught up with the duo at a recent performance in Bengaluru and what ensued was a fun chat that was both informative, heart-warming and entertaining.

Since it is Valentine’s Day this weekend, what does love mean to both of you?

Nirali Kartik: Whether its spiritual love or love between two people, the idea of ‘two’ has to go. As Kabir says, prem gali ati saankri, tamein doh na samaahi (the lane of love is very narrow; two cannot walk [or dwell] in it together [at the same time])! We live, work, experience life as ONE team and the foundation of it all has to be love. In general, love requires keeping the ego aside and that’s always the beginning and the end of it all. That requires practice, maturity and understanding especially in cases like us, when we also both work together quite a lot, if not always!

Kartik Shah: Supporting each other always in thick and thin times and craving to do more journeys and experiences together for me are two ways in which I define love.

How did the both of you meet and decide to share your journeys?

Kartik: I used to perform at Nirali’s brothers very trendy café back then and that’s where we met. But sparks flew only after I had shifted to Mumbai and we had an opportunity to work together on the music of a short film I was composing. I have been writing new songs for her and gifting them to her on her birthdays since then. Even now she gets upset if she doesn’t get her birthday song!

The love for music and the love for each other intertwined, how do you combine both?

Nirali: Love in all its totality is the foundation of any art. Our love for each other has only helped us on our musical journey together. Not meaning to say we are always the best to each other, we sometimes have huge creative differences but we always hold on to the understanding of faith and respect.

We’ve been following both of you since the very beginning of MaatiBaani 14 years ago, but do tell us about how the band came to be?

Nirali: MaatiBaani came to be quite organically. We both come from totally contrasting worlds musically yet we somehow ended up being married to each other! That led to the creation of MaatiBaani. That is why you hear funk fused with hindustani vocals and rock with Kabir!

Kartik: I heard Nirali sing classical for the first time at an Alliance Française two decades ago. I have been a fan of her voice since then. Classical singers are wired differently as they are improvising at any given moment. I am a structured musician and plan each and everything. MaatiBaani was the offshoot of that contrast.

What does the name of the band mean?

Nirali: It means ‘Language of the Earth.’ From the very beginning, we knew we would be exploring the varied cultures of the world through their music traditions. Both of us love to travel and explore different cultures. But when we travel, we travel in search of the sounds and songs that have something to tell, that speaks to us or inspires us or takes us completely by surprise!

Kartik: It’s funny, a lot of times after a show people come to us and greet Nirali as Baani ma’am! That makes me Maati, I guess (laughs). We have always had this dilemma — is MaatiBaani a band or a platform and I guess its both. The sheer amount of musicians we have collaborated over the years — over 300 — makes MaatiBaani more like a comfort space where one can come and jam.

Collaborations seem to define the band, be it Joyshanti in Tore Matware Naina to almost every other release since — how do you decide on whom to collaborate with and how do these collaborations happen?

Kartik: I spend a whole lot of time on the internet finding cool musicians. The Saw Lady (Natalia Paruz) who features in Lagan Lagi, is a complete misfit on paper for that song. Why on earth would you use a carpenter’s saw in a disco funk song? Or Linsey Pollak playing a clarinet made out of a real carrot in Mhari Re Mangetar! Or Anastasia doing a tap dance jugalbandi with a carnatic guitar? But once you hear them, you cannot unhear what it sounds like in the song! The good part is I hear it all in my head before I lay down any tracks of the song. I love to design the parts of the song to evoke surprise and joy. Some things are also by chance, like the meeting with Joyshanti was in an ashram in Kerala. The next day we were recording the song on the beach!

We have seen you shift focus South several times, be it with the Tamil version of Tore Matware or even more recently, Tandanano — what are the sounds from the South that excite you the most?

Kartik: Right now, I am in love with Malayalam music. It’s fearless and not stuck in a time loop. Music from the South is so rich, we are going to explore it more this year.

What has been your hardest collaboration yet, in terms of technicalities?

Kartik: It has to be Heal The World — the cover song we did for a Michael Jackson tribute. The sheer number of talents and people involved made it our biggest collaboration yet. We hired 15 cinematographers and 15 different studios around the world and rehearsed with more than 40 child prodigies over the internet. It was one of the most viral songs of that year and also the most difficult to execute.

If we asked you what was the raag that you are currently obsessed with, which would it be and why?

Nirali: Ramkali. I performed it for the first time on stage recently! I love how a raag can consume and then free you! It’s a process that I have learnt observing my guru. There is no option but to be one with the raag and sing it to the best of your ability. That process in itself is so enriching, meditative and again brings you ‘into the present.’

Finally, before we let you go, Nirali, if you had to also choose a raag that best defines your idea of love, what would it be and why?

Kalyan. God save us (laughs). Jokes apart, Kalyan is auspicious. Love has been generous to us, we have been married for 17 years and we have been able to build a life immersed in music. We consider that as the biggest blessing. The arrival of our baby girl has only added an abundance of love in our musical universe!

And Kartik, which according to you is the most romantic tune/riff that you always go back to and why?

I have written several songs for Nirali and one of my most favourite is called Tujhse Milne Ke Bahaane, which I wrote for her two years ago. These are exclusive songs for her, but I might make them into an album someday.

Umar Marvi, their latest release, is now streaming on YouTube.

Email: romal@newindianexpress.com

X: @elromal