Music is a unifying force that can melt barriers,? says Sonya Mazumdar, CEO, EarthSync – a music label and an audio-visual production house based in Chennai. Her sentiments resonate in the label?s first in-house documentary called the Laya Project, which is a musical journey dedicated to the survivors of the December 26, 2004, Asian Tsunami. EarthSync travelled to regions like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Maldives and India to capture musical performances in various native locations and encouraged various tribal and folk musicians to evolve their unique style uniting music forms of diverse cultures.
?We wanted to provide sustainable support to the Tsunami survivors without indulging in charity,? she avers. The documentary won four international awards including the Founder?s Choice Award at the New York International Independent Film Festival. Soon, EarthSync signed a three-year contract with the National Geographic Channel for the worldwide broadcast of the Laya Project on television and is also being distributed by EMI Music in India.
?Folk music is very fragile and has to be nurtured carefully,? feels Mazumdar, who was disappointed by the plight of this vanishing art form. ?For native music to reach out to the youth, we decided to incorporate it with contemporary tunes that would appeal to the younger generation as well,? she adds. Thus the concert is a collaborative effort that aims to unearth talents of musicians from across the globe. Simultaneously, EarthSync felt the need to do something for the indigenous musicians in India and as a result the first live version of the Laya Project ? Laya Project Live! was put together in December 2006 at Chennai. Laya Project Live! musicians interpret music from the six Laya Project countries and the audience at the concerts is treated with an assortment of music ranging from Buddhist chants and folk music, Sufi singers and Carnatic sounds as well as traditional instruments in an electronic mix.
Laya Project Live! comprises around 20 musicians playing a range of classical, folk music to contemporary Western music on the same stage. The first concert showcased fishermen, farmers and common folk affected by the Tsunami sharing the stage with international musicians from the Middle East and Europe. But touring to various cities across the world with these artistes became difficult. ?Logistics and financial requirements posed a problem for us as none of these musicians had passports,? mentions Mazumdar as she reveals that procuring sponsorship can be a daunting task. However, this has not deterred the label from going ahead with organising their annual EarthSync festival, which is held in Chennai every year and experiences packed shows. Laya Project Live! will soon travel to Hyderabad in December this year and to Perth in February 2009.