Music Basti Presents Dhanak Dhin: Songs Created By Former Street Children
12 December 2011
Dhanak Dhin means 'Rainbow Lyrics' in Urdu and is a collection of songs created by former street-children in collaboration with musicians across the board. The songs are inspired by the monsoon and you can stream and download these below. Alternatively head over to the official website here
Sawan Kabhi Jaana Nahi (Rain, Don't Ever Leave!)
http://soundcloud.com/rachitsbarak/baadalon-mein
Kaale Baadal (Dark Clouds Gather In The Skies)
http://soundcloud.com/rachitsbarak/asmaan-mein-chaye
Boondon Mein (In Raindrops)
http://soundcloud.com/rachitsbarak/boondon-mein
The website features stunning videos capturing the process of the project created by media partner Now Delhi, and each song is accompanied by a description of how the music was created with a translation of the lyrics.
This unique community music project was delivered by Music Basti and involved 60 former street-children from the Dil Se Campaign. The term former street children refers to children who were living or working on the streets as beggars, rag pickers, orphans, abandoned or runaway. They worked in collaboration with musicians including Suhail Yusuf Khan, Abihishek Mathur, Five8, Subh Saran and Smiti Malik to create an album that celebrates their voices.
“Participation in this kind of community arts process helps to promote the skills and abilities of children, as well as their sense of identity, confidence and articulation.” Faith Gonsalves, founder of Music Basti.
By celebrating the voices of at risk children and giving them a space to explore their creativity in a constructive environment this project is a tremendous step forward in validating and sharing their opinions, experiences and views in the world through music.
"Through Music Basti we learn so much about the outside world and meet people from all over. The recording was scary at first but it was a lot of fun and I managed to learn so much, I am so thankful that I was able to record our song "Saavan Kabhi Jaana Nahi" with artists Shubh and Smiti." - Sabiya, 4th Std, "Khushi" Home for Girls, Dil Se Campaign.
Check out a clip about the making of Sawan Kabhu Jaana Nahi:
Image credit: Tanushree Singh