Swarathma, one of India’s leading Folk/Fusion band has long drawn inspiration from India’s folk and tribal traditions, going beyond influence to build meaningful collaborations with indigenous musicians across the country. Through projects such as Rhythms of the Earth with the Tata Steel Foundation, the band has worked closely with tribal artists—mentoring groups, recording rare instruments, and sharing the stage in powerful collective performances.
Rather than simply borrowing sounds, Swarathma approaches these collaborations with respect and reciprocity, learning from the simplicity, storytelling, and emotional depth of tribal music. In this conversation, they reflect on that journey and the importance of giving indigenous musicians greater recognition and rights within the mainstream music space.
Khanak Digital caught up with the band and explored their journey and their continued tryst with the tribal and folk musicians of the country.Beyond Fusion: Swarathma’s Musical Partnership with Tribal Artists
Q) You have this affinity for folk and tribal music. Where does it come from?
A) Right from the beginning Swaratma has been appreciative and attracted to tribal music. I believe the raw and true energy of tribal music is magnetic in every way. There is always a story or a moral or some context to the music they make. It is never frivolous. It could be that the tunes are in some ways repetitive but the fact that they all have different themes gives them an ethereal appeal.
Q) Can you tell us more about your work with tribal artists?
A) We’ve performed with the rhythms of the earth tribal collective put together by the Tata Steel Foundation. 60 to 70 artists are performing together in this huge project
Q) To what extent does folk or tribal music influence your music?
A) We definitely have imbibed some elements and ideology of folk and tribal music in singing or rhythm but we are not about reinterpreting folk songs in our style. Folk music is about the experiences they are going through. Living in the urban space does not mean that we do not have stories to tell. Our stories after 200 years will sound exactly like folk music. Like one of our teachers insisted that the deeper rooted you are as an artist the wider will your music reach. Tribal and folk music is beyond streams, valleys, environment. One has to start thinking differently about
Q) Can you please elaborate on this idea of emotion and context in the sense of tribal music?
A) The context may differ but the underlying emotion is the same irrespective of the culture. The wedding of a village girl in Rajasthan or Kerala would evoke the same feeling in any foreign land. The emotional thread running through all these stories will be similar. A water problem in India may superficially sound different from a similar problem in Egypt but the gravity of the issue is undeniable. Folk music clearly is inherently relatable anywhere across the world. Like the fragrance emanating from the earth after rain anywhere across the world is identical
Q) What kind of research do you do you travel in your quest to trace the musicians?
A) There is no formal research involved. It is mainly intuitive. We are open to influences. That is key. In the project we did with Tata Steel Foundation a part of the project was about mentoring 15 tribal-folk groups. The experience revealed to us the myriad folk elements throbbing across India. The methods they used to reveal their stories through music stayed with us. So, this was again an intuitive rather than formal learning. We had collaborated with many folk artists during the Tata Steel project. This was a truly a fulfilling and learning experience for us. Interacting with these tribal musicians was enriching.
Q) Can you tell us about the instruments used by these tribes?
A) Rabha, Jamattia, Bodo and Kargi are the prominent tribes from the region who play all kinds of instruments. Serka, Banam are all melody instruments native to the region. From the Bodo tribe, we had Rinhgchad a flautist worth going miles for. Among them Rangsina is a true virtuoso from the region. He was excellent on the 2-string guitar-like Kumdendong and the Kumlieng which is a kind of violin. Closer to Mumbai are the Tarpa players from the Warli tribe. There is no dearth of percussion instruments among the tribes. It was very satisfying to record The Kham, Changu, Mandar, Safara ,Nagada. We used them in the album Rhythms of the earth. We used them in the album Rhythms of the earth. This is album of ten original tribal compositions with Swarathma playing the role of a mentor.
Q) How would you define the experience of recording these musicians in the studio?
A) We had arranged for a make shift studio in Jamshedpur for the Tata project. Varun and our recording engineer did all the excellent work that emerged. All except one tribe, was recorded in our Bangalore studio. It was challenging, but fun to record them in a binding structure like the other musicians. We did a lot of sampling. We had to pick from what they played and then loop that into the overall structure.
Q) Can you tell us about the intrinsic nature of the tribal compositions?
A) For us living in cities, there are too many parameters that come into consideration that restrict our thinking as musicians. Commercial interests, competition with other musicians, the way we sound, botherations about the reach of our music consume the thought process of musicians. We have, in a way, lost touch with the soil from which the music originates. Inspiration for tribal music could come from any source, there is no set parameter. Music has an inherent simplicity making it more beautiful. As time goes making things simple in music gets harder and harder.
Q) How has tribal music influenced your music especially after your interactions with tribal musicians? Any particular musician or melody that made an impression on you?
A) The idea that we should create simple compositions is one of the best learnings from our interactions with the tribal musicians. A gentleman from the Kota Nilgiri tribe a PVTG (Particularly vulnerable tribal groups) Mr. Uttaman comes to mind immediately. He wrote a song with us as an ode to the love between a grandfather and the grandchild. The fact that we could get to arrange the music and be a part of the chorus as singers makes it truly special for us. Melodies dedicated to this relationship are truly rare and it is a standout composition.
Q) What according to you were a good take away from the whole experience of recording with the tribal musicians?
A) The fact that we are folk musicians also helped us and while interacting with them on the Tata project we realized that we were in our comfort zone. We realized that we could easily take it forward from there. This was truly a remarkable takeaway for us.
Q) What should in your view be taken up as a way to promote folk and tribal music?
A) It is belief that all folk music comes from forests and nature but if you probe even a bit, we all belong to the same roots. Development came much later. We think it is important to sing in your language whatever it be, even English. It is important that we take our own stories from wherever we are to the world singing in whatever language you are comfortable in. There are people born and bred in cities and that remains their only experience. That is the best way one can sing in the language stories
Q) What do you think can be done to mainstream folk and tribal music from India?
A) Organizations like the IPRS are already doing much in the direction and have a big role to play in helping tribal composers and authors gain recognition. Any conversation with the tribal musicians reveals that they believe they are performing the music of their ancestors do not consider themselves as authors or composers.
Q) How can this be achieved in your view?
A) It is important that there is awareness created about the rights as author composers. This could mean creating some kind of awareness in the small-town studios where they record. Most of them sell their music by getting a lump sum from studio owners in small towns. Royalties and other emoluments never appear on the horizon. So, it is important that there is awareness created about these rights even in the studio owner belt wherever they are. It is also important to sample these sounds and ferry them across into the mainstream market. Music festivals promoting tribal and folk music can also go a long way in getting the focus on this talented lot of musicians.
Q) How different is your set with every audience or listener base?
A) We prepare diligently for all the different kind of listeners and audiences we play for. For us, retaining the freshness in all our acts is primary. Like for the Living Roots festival we are performing a percussion set with 8 different percussionists. Swarthma and friends is another set where we perform with tribal artists.
Q) What are your current engagements in the coming times?
A) New projects and concert and also looking to finish from new songs. One of our most ambitious ones is with you IPRS the SIPHUNG Living Roots festival. Collaborating with some of our old and new friends is also on the cards. We were also at the Sula festival in Nashik and were happy to see people turn up in huge numbers to see us. Festival organizers, listener and musicians have evolved over the years which is great to see. is audience is come there purely for the music and it is always great to play for them.
Vibhav Rao