TGLife: How has Papon and the East India Company been received as a band? Why do you feel your music appealing to a discerning audience?
Papon: When I started fusing new sounds with traditional and folk Indian music in 2007 with my band East India Company there were not many young people dealing with folk with a modern day approach but now I see that happening so much more. We were in fact instrumental in coining the word 'folktronica' and now it’s almost a style! Platforms like Coke Studio and The Dewarists are taking it a step further by getting it into prime time mainstream television, and that definitely helps spread the music.
TGL: Do you feel that more musically-inclined Indians need to get in touch and stay in touch with roots music here India?
Papon: Well, the success of folk music shows that people are trying to stay in touch with their roots. People connect with very ancient melodies and structures, without knowing why.
TGL: How can we repackage Indian classical and folk music and make it appealing for a younger audience who are used to listening to EDM and commercial pop music?
Papon: Bollywood is doing that a lot these days, isn't it? Bollywood has really opened up to all kinds of different sounds and genres. There are a lot of independent musicians who are a part of Bollywood and in turn Bollywood has opened up to many different sounds and genres “ from drum and bass to folk. And a lot of tracks in films sound much like the EDM tracks you hear in clubs.
TGL: What’s your take on the independent music scene here in India, how far can it go and what’s holding it back?
Papon: Indian music is no longer just classical music or just Bollywood. Indian music is changing and people have a new idea of India through the music that is coming out of the country. Globalisation has made people more aware, more accepting of new trends. There's so much happening in the music scene and people internationally are reaching out to us, which is a great feeling. The kind of support that we are getting from the industry and the scale that it's on is just phenomenal. It's really encouraging and I'm pretty sure that it will be a push for newer artists to join the scene. It will only get better from here.
TGL: Is it true that some fans of yours have started an NGO called Paponists? Have you interacted with them?
Papon: I don't clearly know who are these fans, or how old they are or where they come from. There are different Papon fan clubs from different districts. I have met some of them when they have managed to reach me... lots of them are on Facebook and social media and keep in touch. They try and tackle the social issues that I raise when I am on stage. It started with a group of my fans cleaning an area in the city on a Sunday morning, to visiting old age homes. Some of them didn't spend their money on Diwali crackers but bought food for beggars and the homeless. They have planted trees. They all do such amazing things. They also fight and bicker among themselves that they're better Paponists. It's amazing to get all this love.
