A unique documentary on the folk music traditions of Indian Ocean communities promises to be an audio-visual treat

Till Dec 26, 2004, not many of us had heard of the term tsunami. However, the catastrophic event caused so much destruction, over such large swathes of the Indian Ocean coast, that after that eventful Sunday none of us could ever say the word tsunami and not feel anxious. Yet, humans are nothing if not resilient.

And to celebrate this spirit of resilience of the Dec 2004 tsunami survivors, a unique documentary titled the Laya Project is being screened in the city. An award-winning audio-visual journey through the folk communities of six countries affected by the 2004 tsunami, the project has been produced at the EarthSync studio based in Chennai. It will be shown at Mocha, Koregaon Park on November 30 at 12 pm.

"After the tsunami, the whole world's focus was on the death and destruction wrought in affected areas. However, since we are passionate about music, we wanted to document the folk and traditional music forms of the coastal communities," says Sonya Mazumdar, producer of Laya Project.

A celebration of sound, documenting folk music recorded and filmed on location in the coastal and surrounding communities of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar and India, the film includes some rare performances, caught on tape for the first time.

"Laya's essence is artistic purity and simplicity, from a non-judgmental point of view. The production creates a composition that mixes and enhances the original recordings, and embarks on a one-of-its-kind journey across borders, while preserving the music of the people," adds Mazumdar.

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