At first, it appeared to be Bollywood, but gradually it moved to a folk form and then incorporated some elements of a Spanish lambada. The beats were fast, the moves were catchy, and the expression was sensuous.
“What is it called,” I asked. “Chutney,” my host answered. “Is it like the chutney in India?” “Yes.”
“Do you know what chutney is,” I asked to be sure. “Yes. It goes with Indian food, especially snacks.”
Part of this form of music came to the Caribbean from northern India, especially Bhojpuri folk tradition. When you reach Trinidad and Tobago, High Commissioner, you will get to enjoy the taste of real chutney dance,” my host chuckled.
I was at the annual cultural celebration of the Trini Diaspora in Ottawa. As he mentioned Bhojpuri, trendy numbers such as Aara hile Chhapra hile, Balia hile la... and Lollypop Lage Lu… of eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Bihar and the Terai region of Nepal crossed my mind. My host, the president of the Trini Diaspora, had invited me to this event after learning that I would be taking over as India’s High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago shortly. It was an excellent opportunity for me to learn about the Caribbean culture and the Indo-Caribbean links.
After I arrived in Port of Spain in September 2019, I got several opportunities to listen to chutney music. I gathered that its origin lies in the Bhojpuri-speaking region of India.
As the indentured labourers started migrating to Trinidad and Tobago 175 years ago, they brought with them their music.
I learnt that the style, in the beginning, was that of kirtan and women performed it in their households and places of worship. The primary accompanying instruments were dholak, dhantal and tabla, and some of the themes had shades of the Bhakti movement.
Blend with Calypso
Gradually, as the Indian indentured labourers and the free African slaves built their lives together, the Indian music came in contact with the African form called Calypso that developed in this region in the mid-19th century and laid the foundation of a popular high-tempo crossover music. The language of the lyrics moved from Hindustani to a combination of Hindustani, English and Creole. New African and western instruments such as the guitar, piano, drums and tasha came in fusion with traditional Indian instruments.
Garfield Blackman, popularly known as Lord Shorty, successfully experimented with the fusion and rose to fame with his 1963 hit Clock and Dagger. His classic compositions include Indrani and Shanti Om. Sundar Popo (born as Sundarlal Popo Bahora) added to this repertoire beginning with his 1969 hit Nana and Nani.
Drupatee Ramgoonai, a woman singer of Indian descent, used the name Chatnee Soca in her 1987 album. Her subsequent mega-hit Roll up de Tassa was instrumental in creating a commercial market for this music internationally. Her numbers popular in the Caribbean, North America and the Netherlands are the renditions of Hotter than a Chulha, Wuk up D Ladki and O Tassawalley.
The popularity of Chutney Soca paved the way for it to be part of the Trinidad carnival culture and organisation of annual Chutney Soca Monarch competition since the mid-1990s. Sonny Mann rose to fame for his Lotay La and Roll Bhowjie composition in 1996. Ever since, the popularity of Chutney Soca has enabled the emergence of many other fusion styles such as Chutney rap, Chutney jhumar, Chutney lambada and Chutney parang. Parang is the music of the Caribbean and Latin American fusion. The present trend is the mix of the Indo-Caribbean theme with Indian film music and American popular music.
The annual Chutney Soca Monarch competition has become the most significant Indo-Caribbean concert of its kind in the world. In the past quarter of a century, it has made many Chutney artists famous. For instance, Rikki Jai (who won the title six times), Rooplal Girdharrie (won five times), Heeralal Rampartap, KI Persad, Kenneth Salick (hit number Radica), Raymond Ramnarine (I Ain’t Marriding No More), GI Imran Beharry (Anna Anna), Nishard Mayrhoo and Neval Chatelal (Fyah, Masala), Ravi B. and Omardath Maraj (Ramsingh).
(The author is the High Commissioner of India in Trinidad & Tobago. Views expressed are personal)
arun.sahu68@gmail.com
