What if that catchy Bollywood song you grew up humming wasn’t Bollywood at all? In this episode of Unboxed, Amit Basole is joined by Sharmadip Basu and Kalyani K from Azim Premji University to uncover the incredible story of Chutney Music — a genre born from migration, memory, and musical remixing.

It begins in 1980s Bengal, where a young Sharmadip first hears Kaise Bani Phulouri Bina Chutney Kaise Bani — thinking it’s just another filmi tune. Years later, in an Indo-Caribbean neighbourhood in New York, he realises it’s actually by Sundar Popo, the father of Chutney Music. That revelation opens up an oceanic history — from indentured labourers (Girmitiyas) who sailed from Bihar and Awadh after 1835, to the birth of a new sound that blended Bhojpuri folk with Caribbean rhythm.

Together, Amit, Sharmadip, and Kalyani trace how artists like Rasika Dindial (Lazy Man) and Drupatee Ramgoonai (Roll Up de Tassa) turned this hybrid sound into a stage for self-expression — where Hindi met Creole, and women found their voice in song.

Watch now to explore how a tune travelled across oceans — and came back as Chutney Music, reshaping Bollywood, diaspora identity, and the very meaning of rhythm.

Acknowledgements

Lazy Men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nNcIYinj0Y

Electric Piya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHmNHM65LRQ

Kaise bani: (Sundar Popo) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnMSmWgoupc

Kaise bani (Dabangg): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTPVQtNT10w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWbmcCA8efQ

https://archive.org/details/calypso-Disc/05+New+York+Subway.wav

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22T_K_PrhC0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVLUyN1AM28&list=PL6U9Qp4XYsx48qkYAt8ZFJpHtC6YSuCc1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q5KtrfPwNU&list=PL6U9Qp4XYsx48qkYAt8ZFJpHtC6YSuCc1&index=3

#ChutneyMusic #UnboxedPodcast #AzimPremjiUniversity #SundarPopo #KaiseBani #DrupateeRamgoonai #RasikaDindial #CaribbeanMusic #BhojpuriFolk #Soca #Calypso #DiasporaMusic #BollywoodMusic #IndianDiaspora #MigrationStories #Unboxed #AmitBasole #CulturalFusion #Girmitiyas

In Unboxed — The Lightbulb in India, Sharmadip Basu and Proteep Mallik explore the history, science, and legacy of electric lighting in India, joined by guests Antara Das and Sunandan K.N.

The electric lightbulb transformed human life, replacing natural cycles of light and darkness and extending human productivity beyond the workday. Early innovations such as Humphry Davy’s arc light (1802) and Warren de la Rue’s platinum filament bulb (1840) were impractical. In 1879, Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan developed longer-lasting carbon filament bulbs. By 1906, tungsten filaments became the standard, and later, argon gas was introduced to extend bulb life.

Electric lighting arrived in India in 1879. By 1889, Kolkata had streetlights, and by 1899, its first power station. Mumbai saw electric lighting in 1882, but tungsten filament bulbs became common only by 1923. The Roy brothers helped establish India’s lighting industry with Bengal Lamps.

Don’t miss Sunandan’s personal story of electricity reaching his Kerala village in the 1970’s—with an ironic twist!

Heard the term social jet-lag? Antara, professor of biology at Azim Premji University, warns about the effects of prolonged exposure to artificial lighting, which disrupts circadian rhythms and affects sleep and health. Ironically, the future of light may eventually lie in darkness. Dark Sky Reserves, such as India’s Hanle Reserve in Ladakh, aim to reduce light pollution and preserve natural nightscapes.

Tune in to another illuminating episode of Unboxed and don’t forget to catch up on other episodes in the series.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Gorveck Thokchom, Kishor Mandal, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, Vaishnavi Ramanujam, and Velu Shankar

Did you know that Indian Yellow, the pigment with which Vincent Van Gogh painted the luminous moon in his masterpiece Starry Night, was prepared from the dried urine of cows fed exclusively on mango leaves? Or that India, despite being the world’s largest producer of mangoes, exports less than 1% because Indians can never be done eating their produce? Or that we may be throwing away the most nutritious and medically valuable part of the mango — its seed?

The mango is undeniably the king of fruits, evoking passions that span literature, diplomacy, botany, agriculture, and economics. It is a fruit that unites and divides us equally, as we discover in this luscious episode of Unboxed, featuring a trio of mango aficionados who agree to disagree on their favourite variety.

Social science professor Sharmadip Basu swears proudly by West Bengal's GI-tagged Himsagar. Amit Basole, an economist from Mumbai who is passionate about Urdu poetry and Indian literature, is torn between the feted Alphonso and the evergreen Langra. Biology professor Divya Uma has a soft spot for Karnataka's rosy-red Raspuri.

Eavesdrop on their lively discussion about the mango's cultural significance, ranging from ancient literature and religious stories to its nutritional benefits, and the startling reason why champing on a mango peel may give you an itchy mouth-rash. Discover why the mango’s political economy unfailingly makes headlines, and learn how this delicious summer fruit remains on our tables — and in our memories — year-round through various condiments and products.

Whether you call it aam, mangai, aamra, or mango, just uttering the word can evoke a plethora of sensations and emotions. Seasoned with the voices of enthusiastic mango lovers from a bustling mango mandi in Bengaluru, this slice of Unboxed is a juicy celebration of a fruit that embodies the essence of India for India’s Aam Janata – the Mango People.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

For a comprehensive list of resources for further reading and exploration, visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/unboxed-harmonium-india