Of Tibetan chants and daily life

Jyoti Dogra

You might believe that discussing weight loss with your friend or commenting on the city's traffic might make for mundane conversations, but these are part of artiste Jyoti Dogra's solo performance Notes On Chai.

Artiste Jyoti Dogra in the solo performance piece, Notes On Chai

Supported by India Foundation for the Arts, Dogra will take to the stage this Saturday at NCPA to present a collection of snippets of everyday conversations from an urban Indian middle-class life. These will be interwoven with abstract sound explorations that are inspired by Tibetan chanting, Western harmonics and extended vocal techniques.

"For me, the piece addresses the immediate realities of the life around us, pressures and conflicts which are not very dramatic but collectively shape our world. These urban preoccupations, be it talking about yoga, Bollywood or even eating joints, reveal the inner lives of individuals," suggests Dogra.

Adding depth to the piece are the abstract sounds that allow space for the audience to reflect and introspect. Interestingly, the artiste will create the chants and other singing techniques live on stage. She recalls her inspirations, "In 2012, I was in Switzerland on a Pro Helvetia residency working with a Western Overtone singer, composer and sound artiste, Dana Stratil. Interacting with her and other Overtone artistes, and listening to the haunting sounds and textures of this particular sound-making technique have had a strong influence on my present work."

Having worked with Tibetan monks of the Gyuto sect in Dharamsala influenced the artiste to include Tibetan chanting techniques in the piece. "The Tibetan monks use a sound technique that's very similar to the Mongolian throat singing. The piece is also influenced by Vipassana," she says.