Yodhakaa

Yodhakaa is the name of a band founded in 2005 by Chennai-based drummer and percussionist ‘Darbuka’ Siva, whose stated aim is to bridge traditional and contemporary Indian music. This first album is a collection of shloka – Sanskrit devotional verses – set to music performed on bongos, nylon-strung guitar, slide guitar, double-bass and the Latin American güiro scraper). It’s not the usual fare for Sanskrit poetry, and a line¬up that’s inclined to make one a bit apprehensive about what to expect. But, even though the music is not going to be to everyone’s taste, one has to applaud this courageous treatment of sacred verses that have been sung for at least three millennia. The verses range from descriptions of the sheer physical beauty of goddesses such as Lakshmi (wife of Vishnu) to narratives of the crucial events in the epic Mahabharata and episodes from the life of the playful god Krishna.

Even the most diehard of purists will probably have to admit that the female and male vocals, courtesy of Susha and Pradeep, are simply delightful – every word stands out, crystal clear. If you’re able to filter out the accompanying modern and Western instruments, the actual singing is quite close to traditional styles of recitation. And, as the liner notes rightly point out, Sanskrit is a language whose sounds make a deep impression on the soul, irrespective of whether or not one understands the words. In this respect, at least, the album is sure to attract newer generations to an ancient poetic tradition.