Discovery of a voice that's her ownBawari Basanti
30-year-old Mahima Dayal Mathur's (a.k.a Bawari Basanti) raw and earthy voice finds expression in classical and folk vibrations. She shares the story of her younger self when she would sit and quietly observe her grandmother, who taught Hindustani classical music to her students.
"I was captivated by her. But as a kid you often take family and all that comes with it, for granted. I did too. I loved the classes but was undisciplined. I think, at the time, I only wanted to be in her classes, to be a part of the community. I wanted to belong," she explains.
But with years, as her music matured, so did she. Somehow, it had become a part of who she was, and just as young Mahima was thinking about pursuing it seriously, life threw a curveball at her.
"For the better part of my childhood, my grandmother tried very hard to discipline me into learning music seriously.
But, when she was on her deathbed, she advised me not to try and make a career in it. That was a big shock, especially because it came from her," she shares.
Mahima adds that her family also believed that a career in music was not lucrative enough and not a practical choice. And so, she pursued a career in journalism.
However, despite her constant efforts, somehow things never fit.
"I was writing about music, interviewing people who were pursuing music but not making my own. That somehow did not make me happy, and I felt out of place. Additionally, balancing work and my morning classes was becoming difficult. I realised that going back home and sitting to practice music was the best part of my day. I knew that my grandmother was being practical as she had undergone several hardships to pursue music and did not want me to suffer, but not following my passion was becoming harder," Mahima adds.
A year later she quit and joined the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music with a teaching scholarship in 2013. Meanwhile, she continued her musical endeavours and started a band called Basanti Aur Woah! in 2014.
A significant professional moment for her arrived in 2015 when her band opened for Lucky Ali in a concert. The same year, she decided to leave the academy and pursue her music career even more seriously.
The next few years passed with several national and international collaborations, and finally, in 2017, she launched herself as an independent artist under the name Bawari Basanti.
"I realised that most of my work was in collaborations and did not want that to dilute my success as an independent singer. So, I started by making mixtapes of all my previous performances and launched it in 2017 under Bawari Basanti. By 2019, I came out with my first single 'Chalein Kahin,' followed by another called 'Izhaar,'" she says.
According to Mahima, her music was a representation of who she already was and aspired to be.
"It is about how a contemporary woman once dancing to someone else's tunes, finds her voice. She might be 'bawari' (crazy) but is great on her own and is on a path to being her best self. My songs explore these themes with a voice of reason and dissent on various social and emotional issues. It is like me speaking to the masses about the masses," explains the artist who excels in folk and contemporary spoken-word music.
A rising star, Mahima knew she now needed a platform that could take her music beyond boundaries to not just thousands but millions. And so was keen on exploring the HCL Digital Concerts platform that showcases young artists like her to a global audience.
"Creating a digital footprint is extremely important for an artist today. Being able to access thousands of people at just a click is the magic that HCL Digital Concerts is making possible," she adds.
HCL Digital Concerts is a platform meant to identify aspiring musicians and provide them with opportunities to showcase their talent through digital as well as physical music concerts.
Read More Stories
