Eight years ago Europe discovered a new kind of music — gypsy rhythms from a remote corner of Hungary. Fresh and folksy, catchy and danceable, listeners couldn’t stop moving to the beats. Critics found to their amusement, much of the sound came from instruments like spoons and milk cans. The tracks climbed up the charts and the group, Parno Graszt (meaning White Horse in native Romani), became the first Hungarian band ever to feature in the European top ten countdown. Ever since, Parno Graszt has been an essential part of almost all major musical festivals in Europe, from the Netherlands and France, to Russia and Belgium. For the next few weeks, however, the world’s favourite gypsies are on a new trip— to discover their roots in India.

“Our forefathers left India more than 2,000 years ago and some Rajasthan dialects have similar sounding words to ours. We’re travelling back on the path our people came from,” says band member Jozsef Olah, during a brief stopover in Delhi on route to Jaipur. While in Jaipur, they will perform with an indigenous group from Rajasthan at a music function. Accompanying them is a film crew from BBC which is making its second documentary on the group.

At the Old Delhi railway station, the band’s luggage has all the expected musical accompaniments— guitar, accordion, more guitars as well as some peculiarly shaped instruments like kitchen pincers. “Anything that can be used to create sound is an instrument for us. We’ve even rubbed our fingers on door surfaces to create melody,” says Olah, who plays the tambourine and guitar. The songs deal with love and loss and pleasant pastimes like fishing and usually, the beats are infused with joy.

Parno Graszt was formed in 1987 in Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, one of the most underdeveloped counties of Hungary. The lack of modernity, however, had one positive result; the ethnic culture of the gypsy Roma community remained intact.

In a typical gathering, everybody in the community grabs an instrument and plays along. “Nobody in our group has ever trained in music. My mother Erzsebet Nemeth envisioned a band and goaded me to form one that would sing our kind of music,” says Olah. All of Parno Graszt’s members are from Olah’s family; his elder brother Janos is on double bass and vocals, his son Krisztian on the accordion and his nephew Viktor on the guitar. All of them remain part of the band, even though of the 24 members, only five have come to India. Olah begins to strum his guitar as band member Sandor Horvath beats a sound out of the kitchen pincers. And then, they burst into song.

Parno Graszt will perform at IIC on October 19 at 6.30 pm. Contact: 24619431