An Evening With The Fish-Eyed Poet at the Toto Awards

It was the 9^th annual Toto Funds the Arts award ceremony at Bangalore’s Alliance Francais. The event is dedicated to the memory of 20 year old Angirus 'Toto' Vellani, writer, blogger and budding film critic, who lost his life  in 2004. TFA aims to encourage young independent artists for their work in the categories of photography, filmmaking, music and creative writing. Next to the podium is a picture of Toto, radiant and smiling as though in approval. Looking around the auditorium now, it seems to be filled with excited contestants anxiously anticipating the results.

Kishore Krishna conducts himself as though he’s reluctantly hopeful. If he’s not nervous, he’s completely confident of winning. This is his third nomination for the Toto and though he doesn’t know it yet, the heavy molded metal trophy shaped like a hand as well as the cheque for Rs. 50,000, already have the name of his band engraved on them. ‘Adam and the Fish-Eyed Poets’ is an endeavor that has solidified out of the time Kishore spends, deprived of sunlight, nestling with his vision in a jam room studio at his home in Chennai. Riding out an unpaved venture, the sleepless nights he consumes work out to months of restlessly toying with expectations. Besides Prabhu Muralee, the energetic drummer of the band, other members have tended to swing, either due to artistic differences or to favor more conventional callings. Having pursued music with the same the time and involvement needed to pursue any conventional career, Kishore has three great albums and many live shows around the country feathering his hat.

Sulk-Station, previous Toto nominees, get on stage to set off the affair and the gathering is transformed by its electronica-infused, ambient sound and brooding vocals. Strains of traditional folk and Hindustani find their way through Tanvi Shah’s melodies. A still moment of private contemplation explodes as the building synths break into thunderous new age beats. The audience claps in appreciation as the act winds up.

The short-listed contestants are called upon stage and each deliberate upon their work. Many have travelled great distances in search of a fitting conclusion to their toil as artists. Most seem shy in the limelight, but all appear to be enthusiastic and thankful for the recognition. As the evening proceeds to the award distribution, some are rendered ecstatic while others find reason to take in a sigh before moving on. Kishore makes his way on stage and briefly thanks his parents for their support and Toto for the encouragement. The money obtained will pay for a live drum recording on The Fish-Eyed Poets’ upcoming album- a well-deserved upgrade from the sequenced beats of previous efforts. 

Later, at the dinner table, Kishore and Sulk Station’s Rahul Giri find themselves fervently zeroing in on the point of it all as musicians trying to make a living in India. The conversation frequents marketing towards the new generation of consumers, while touching upon the economy, social divides, language barriers and how the Internet redeems all obstacles while also introducing a fleeting quality to art. Kishore says he intends on seeking out his disenfranchised, English-thinking generation- a large group of fresh minds scattered across the country, all lost in chaotic little corners across the confluence. As the restless chatter of acceptance fades, each is left where art begins- the inner voice and its responses to the day.