Shoরীk: A Musical Alliance, writes Dr. Himabrata Das

Nov. 21: Silchar-based band Shorik launched their first music video “Thikana” on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. Dr. Himabrata Das on behalf of way2barak spoke to Lead vocalist Dhritiman and guitarist Sobhraj on their maiden release that is creating ripples across social media platforms. Shorik is a 3-piece contemporary musical band hailing from Silchar, Assam with musical nuances that takes the listener to a nostalgia trip. The trio of Shorik are Dhritiman, Sobhraj & Bob Biswa.

Dr. H.D: Congratulations on the wonderful response that “Thikana” has been getting since its release. The video has been very nicely made and evokes a strong emotion of nostalgia. What is the backstory behind the track and what was your experience making it happen?

Thank you so much! During the Puja of 2019, the three of us- Priyom (Sobhraj), Kashi da (Bob Biswa) and myself, had started working on this, although the name “Thikana” wasn’t coined at that time. We sat down, jotted the lyrics and had almost given a shape to it by November 2019. But all three of us were not entirely satisfied all throughout, someday we would disagree with the lyrics or with the tune or with the chords or with the tone. We kept on polishing our first brainchild for a year or so until and unless we were entirely satisfied with it. Surprisingly this lockdown made the lyrics more relevant. We had balls while making it, we did covers in most of the shows, very seldom we used to sit together for an original, hence we took time to prepare and characterize this song. After numerous brainstorming sessions in the Puja of 2020, we finally decided this is the time!!

Dr. H.D: What musical influences drive Shorik? And what kind of genres do you as a band like performing?

 Frankly speaking, it took us lots of time to decide what is the genre of Shorik. We had long meetings to decide….we discussed….but at the end we came to a conclusion that we cannot keep our music confined to the boundary of a genre, from Robindro to rock we experimented with everything and we are happy about that. If genre terminology is a mandate, then we are Experimental. We are 90s kids and we grew up listening to Fossils, Metallic, Chandrobindu, James and also Rabindra Sangeet, Najrul Geeti and folk. So our listings & implications aren’t bounded by one single area per se.

Dr. H.D: How have musicians and performers such as you tackled the pandemic? What do you feel about performing online?

Just like any other musician in the valley, and not just musicians, any other person who relates his/her work with art in front of a mass, we too had been through that phase. Cancellation of shows, jamming, day to day meetings and above all monetary losses were a big drawback. Speaking about online live, especially Facebook live is interesting. It’s challenging and it’s fun but only if the artists, no matter how good or bad they are, are getting paid for it. Free live shows are a curse for the people performing, they end up giving enjoyment to the listeners but at the end of the day they get nothing apart from the news that these people perform free live shows. If a video gets about 1500 views and each viewer pays a sum of 10 rupees for the fun that will itself create great revenue for the artists.

Dr. H.D: What has your experience been like being part of Shorik with two other amazing musicians? Do you inspire each other and what is the vibe like in the group?

We three have loads of fun and laughter whenever we are together. For people who have seen our live shows or Facebook lives, we keep on pulling each other’s legs. All three of us engaged in some professional work apart from Shorik and we manage to get some time for each other in whatever way we can. But that doesn’t mean we don’t argue, we argue, we disagree with each other to a large extent but on a better note all these differences result in a functional conflict.

Dr. H.D: So what’s next for Shorik? You must be itching to perform on stage in front of packed audiences. What upcoming projects can your admirers look forward to in the near future?

The pain of not performing on stage during this season time cannot be described. During Durga Puja and Kali Puja, we get to perform the most, but this year, we did it by sitting at our home. It’s good that technology gave us the opportunity to connect and perform during this pandemic, but the thrill of performing on stage, as the crowd sings with you and the sound of claps….that is something else. We are waiting for the time, when we will receive a call and it will be a live on stage show…hope that comes soon. We are dying to perform live in front of an audience, not over the phones but on a stage surrounded by people in flesh, with their smiles, their dance on dhamails, the sound of their claps.

To be honest, Shorik was planning to release another single this year end, but due to time and management, we don’t think that will be possible. We took nearly a year to make Thikana. Who knows how much time it will take to make the next single. We are in between a new one…let’s wait for now. The idea is to bring in a new wave of music and video production. What you saw in Thikana music video is never been done in our valley, we will try to push that limit, as we will bring in different techniques in video and music production with every single that we release.

Also Read: From entrepreneurship to choreography; the seamless journey of ‘NAARI’

**Dr. Himabrata Das, Registrar, Department of Psychiatry, Tezpur Medical College & Hospital (TMCH). Apart from this, he is a vivid lover of sports, an eloquent commentator and a columnist.