Music for ears…& hearts too

Menwhopause: The Band

There are here not just to play music but to make it sure that it’s not only for ears but for hearts too. Menwhopause is a popular Delhi-based band who was recently seen performing in Tihar jail, leaving its inmates touched and inspired.
On a makeshift stage at Tihar, this band won applause of over a thousand prisoners who danced to their songs, during a unique initiative of 20-day workshop for inmates in December.
The band spent a few hours every day with prisoners of the largest prison in Asia. The inmates put together a ten-piece band, which they decided to call The Flying Souls.
The group talked to The Sip of Life moderator, Amit Roy on how the band’s performance with a cause has left everyone spellbound.

SOL: Tell us what is Menwhopause all about? Who are the people behind?
MENWHOPAUSE: Menwhopause is about uninhibited expression, creative collaboration and a whole lot of nothingness. IP, Randeep, Anup, Sarab and Paul form the core. Ritnika manages the core.

SOL: How did you think of naming it so?
MENWHOPAUSE: It was the name of Anup’s Quiz team in College. We didn’t think enough while finding a name for the band, so.

SOL: We would like to know about your recent initiative with Tihar jail inmates. How was the experience?
MENWHOPAUSE: Unbelievable. Profound even. Let’s just say our work with The Flying Souls (The Tihar band) has just begun.

SOL: What was your performance with Flying Souls?
MENWHOPAUSE: Incredible. With about a thousand inmates dancing with not a worry for that while, and it couldn’t have been better.

SOL: How do you think music can make a positive impact in someone’s life, as for instance you performed with convicts?
MENWHOPAUSE: Music is expression and escape. Both of which are significant for a self-expressed life.

SOL: Who was the most memorable inmate and why?
MENWHOPAUSE: Quite a few. Jha for his abiding love for ‘his’ childhood sweetheart, Saxena for playing big brother to everyone and Amit for his notepad with which he would plan our schedules meticulously, while John for his enthusiasm.

SOL: Has your band earlier taken up such initiatives? If yes, which are the ones?
MENWHOPAUSE: We work with children often. This week we are composing a song for an initiative called “Pagdandi”

SOL: Have you been there for the inmates of a hospital? We feel you can bring a smile on someone’s face who is recovering from an ailment. How do you think you have brought music in such lives, if you have?
MENWHOPAUSE: We haven’t played in a hospital yet. But that’s definitely worth a thought.

SOL: What makes Menwhopause different from other bands?
MENWHOPAUSE: Us we guess.

SOL: It has been seen world over that music bands often split in a few years. Do you think Menwhopause will be able to sustain for long?
MENWHOPAUSE: We have been together for 10 years. Don’t see any of us moving on any time soon.

About the Band
Menwhopause is a five-member rock band based in New Delhi, India. The band was formed in 2001 by guitarist Anup Kutty with an original line-up of singer/songwriter Sarabjit Chadha and acoustic guitarist Inder Pal Singh (IP). The trio became a full-fledged band after recruiting bassist Randeep Singh and drummer Rahul Chatterjee. In a country where popular music is dominated with commercial Bollywood music and the live rock music scene is generally full of cover bands, Menwhopause stuck to playing original compositions and were one of the first bands in India to distribute their music for free over the internet.