Listen to musical talent from the Northeast this weekend

Mc Heam performs at a gig in the city

Music has no boundaries, goes the old adage. In a world divided by perspective and bias, art builds a crucial bridge between people. Raktim Roy understands the need to form this bridge. Over the last decade, the event manager and co-founder of Hanghatik has seen the event become a meeting point for musicians from the Northeast, as well as from Mumbai.

Roy started Hanghatik as a media student in the city to bring together Northeastern students seeking a home-grown connection away from home. "A few of my friends and I started discussing doing a night - not a party - but a gathering for music. We would invite Mumbaikars and our friends from the Northeast to create awareness through this gathering." What started in 2009 as a gathering of like-minded friends at Gorai beach has become one of the most awaited events in the city for musicians from the region.

DJ G-Glock

The 13th anniversary celebrations of Hanghatik - which means something big in Assamese - will take place in its now familiar venue of Kitty Su on May 13. "Music has become a way for us to get to know each other," Roy confides. In an age of discrimination and isolation, it brought people out of their individual zones, he says. While musicians from the Northeast have large followings, they find it difficult to break into the music circuit on the mainland.

Rapper MC Heam has had a similar experience. "I have grown up, in a way, with Hanghatik," he tells us. The rapper has come a long way from being a nervous youngster unwilling to take on the offer to perform at Kitty Su. He is now a frequent collaborator with AR Rahman. "The event develops underground artistes and gives them a platform," MC Heam shares. The rapper explains that the profile of Kitty Su attracts big names which help to get attention. As for the Northeast connection, the rapper is thrilled. "It is like a get-together. I went there and it has been six years," he says before adding that over the years Hanghatik has evolved into a musical celebration. "It is about meeting everyone and music. I am meeting my family tomorrow, all those friends who made it big," he smiles.

Rishul Neog

Rishul Neog, who is performing a solo act this year, says, "The event attracts a lot of influential artistes in the city. The last time I attended it, rapper Divine was there." Like MC Heam, the musician looks at the event as an opportunity to spread his wings. "It is a good opportunity for us to get noticed. The region has a lot of talent music-wise, but lacks the visibility when compared with artistes from the mainland."

With names like Sangpoispo, Nasty Ninja, No-D and DJ G-Glock alongside Rishul and MC Heam, the event has certainly grown in profile. Roy elaborates, "We do this purely out of passion." He adds, "It has worked as a chance for fresh artistes who would not get a platform like Kitty Su otherwise." He emphasises that it is not a usual clubbing night, but a gathering of musicians and lovers of music.

Raktim Roy

In the end, it comes down to the simple experience of singing your songs in front of friends. And, what else is music for.

On May 13, 9 pm
At Kitty Su, The Lalit, Andheri East.
Log on to insider.in
Cost Rs 599 onwards