The Tapi Project, The Band That Channels Ancient Currents Into Modern Sounds

When ETV Bharat spoke to them, The Tapi Project seem less like a group of musicians and more like travellers who have made a pact with the invisible cartographers of sound. It has Yogendra Saniyawala on acoustic guitar and Greek bouzouki, vocalist Swati Minaxi, Gaurav Kapadia on drums, and Biju Nambiar on keyboard and bass. “The name arrived organically,” says Biju, describing how a song composed from the river’s 21 ancient names gave birth to the band's identity. The members spoke of jumping into the river of sound itself, of swimming when the waters are kind, surrendering when the currents are stronger.

On May 9, the river flows once more — this time into Mumbai’s Royal Opera House. Presented by Avid Learning and Royal Opera House Mumbai, 'The Tapi Project: A Blend of Folk and Contemporary Sounds from India & Beyond' will offer the city a rare experience: jazz, rock, funk, folk, and spoken word woven together with the fine patience of river sediment layering over centuries. Tickets are available on Insider. The lineup will debut a new song and revisit others that have taken root in audiences across continents. The venue Royal Opera House (a remnant of colonial grandeur with its velvet seats and high arches) will no doubt rise to meet the sounds.