How Folksoul brings marginalised women artistes together

Spotlights come on at the Bangalore International Centre in Bengaluru. Seven artistes, from The Nyoli Ensemble are all set to present Folksoul’s project ‘Sound of Women’. Folk artistes Hemanti Devi, Khasti Devi, Pushpa Devi-Taiji and Chandrashekhar Tamta take the stage along with Shalini Mohan (bass), Charu Hariharan (percussion and vocals) and Krantinaari aka Ashwini Hiremath (rapper and the project curator).

The folk voices carried a raw, earthy timbre — untrained yet powerful and echoed the daily rigours of their lives. In contrast, hip‑hop surged with modern beats and sharp rap verses. Together, the performers formed a chorus of identities. The evening unfolded like a seamless conversation among the artistes and genres.