A musical journey by road across the length and breadth of India

Amit Trivedi soaks in the acoustic legacy of five states, driving through each of them in a road trip spanning almost an year

Music is the new virus in the post pandemic phase. In many cases, people have moved from passive listening to actively learning vocal music or picking up an instrument during the pandemic. Music has, after all, been a constant companion and a source of entertainment, healing and rejuvenation for everyone.

Meet Amit Trivedi, who is out on an ambitious road trip to explore the musical legacy of India. He has been around for over a decade, and is as comfortable belting out racy Bollywood numbers as he is with qawwali, folk-fusion, rock style, love ballads.

In 2020, when the pandemic struck, Amit Trivedi launched his own music label, ‘AT Azaad’ for independent songs, and has produced over 20 songs from which the garba number, ‘Moti Veerana’ and the romantic ‘Madhubala’ became magnum-hits.

“There’s music in India's soil, and I’m on a musical journey across the nation to collaborate with amazing artists! We’re combining the best of our legacy and tradition… with new styles and techniques to create new music that will resonate with the entire nation,” says the musician who is working on his project, ŠKODA Sonic Roots, with automobile brand Škoda, to connect with earthy Indian voices, traditions and stories to create inspired new songs.  

He drives through Gujarat to meet Dandiya King, Kirtidan Gadhvi, for the ultimate Big Fat Gujju wedding, inspiring a brand new Lagna geet! He romances the great Indian Mooch tradition with Rajasthani folk singer Mame Khan and Ruchika Chauhan, in the famed Blue City of Jodhpur. Trivedi pays homage to Bengal with Rana Mazumder and celebrated Baul singer Goutam Das Baul, in a song that can only be called a love letter. He discovers love’s many colours in Tamil Nadu, with the multi-talented Anthony Daasan showing him the moves! He follows his bliss to Rajasthan to create a song about inner joy, powered by the incredible voices of Kavita Seth and local legend Bhanwari Devi. Finally, this Mumbaikar, inspired by the Bhagwa, creates a brand new song brimming with Maharashtrian pride, with celebrated vocalist Nagesh Morwekar.