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