Bindhumalini

Critics based at Behindwoods described the album as “newfangled and experimental” and said further, “Though the album might not be a playlist favourite for all, but its indie feel gives a fresh perspective to music making in Tamil cinema”.

Vipin Nair of Music Aloud stated it as a “Brilliantly experimental composing debut from Bindhu Malini and Vedanth”, while Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog described it as “completely unique and highly original”. A critic from Moviecrow stated it as “an unconventional soundtrack elevated by high inventive arrangements”.

“Here For You” is an ongoing zoom session series since April 28th 2021. It started as a 15 minute respite of music and silence when the severe 2nd wave of the pandemic engulfed all of us. A space to sit and catch your breath in silence, to music.

A space where one can mourn, grieve, find peace, a break or just zoning out from the noise of each day’s relentless turmoil during these difficult times. It has been happening everyday from 8.45 pm to 9.00 pm IST so far. Doctors who have worked non-stop without sleep or rest, families who have had covid and are recovering, all of us who had to say abrupt good byes to our loved ones, volunteers who have had to battle with time to find a bed or a ventilator for patients.

I did not know how I could serve. Then I began this to give myself an anchor. This is how I have started volunteering through the lockdown. Some life affirming activity amidst loss. A place of solace. People have been tuning in regularly and the video and audio are off. It is just some listening in silence. The shade of a tree to sit under before one gets up to continue the journey. This first upload is what was sung on 13th of June 2021.

The Saath-Saath Project, involving a set of cross-cultural collaborations between musicians and scholars, aims to generate a strong interest in thinking through questions of cultural practice in China and India.

Desdemona Rupakam, is a concert theatre piece that examines feminist narratives within Shakespeare’s Othello and traditional Indian mythologies. Performed by acclaimed musicians MD Pallavi and Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy, the play is composed of Hindustani , Carnatic and folk music.

The sound design of the play is by one of India’s foremost live sound artists, Nikhil Nagaraj. The performance text is a combination of musical score, spoken word poetry and dramatic scene. It has been co written by MD Pallavi, Bindhu Malini , Veena Appiah, Abhishek Majumdar, Irawati Karnik and also comprises of the original text of Shakespeare’s Othello . The play also comprises of poetry by Tishani Doshi.

The performance uses multiple forms such as Yakshagana, Hari katha , YellamaNata and contemporary idioms to tell the story . Desdemona Rupakam questions the absence of female voices that could have provided a deeper insight into the life of Desdemona and thereby challenging the erasure of any resistance from Desdemona as she is killed by Othello.

The play in it’s elaboration of traditional Indian myth examines the differences of register and agency that women have had in important narratives about them. Desdemona Rupakam is produced by the Nalanda Arts Studio , an independent arts studio working across forms of art practice and research.

The Threshold is a musical conversation between M D Pallavi and Bindhumalini where they look at gender by celebrating the stories of women across continents and generations.

Through the stories of Hypatia, Agnodice, Kharbaoucha, Fanny Mendelson and the songs of Lalla, Lingamma, Neelamma, Goggavva, Sule Sunkkavva, Nina Simon and Meera, Pallavi and Bindhu weave a journey of the woman accentuating their voices with the sounds of the harmonium, flute, kazoo, swarmandal, udukkai, bells,ghungroo, shakers, kartal, melodica, rainmaker and the Banjo.