Road-trippers come up with an anthem to spread awareness on Rhythm House

Members of roadtrippersclub outside Rhythm House. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Two months ago, industrialist Anand Mahindra put forth an idea on Twitter to crowd-fund the buying back of Mumbai's iconic Rhythm House - an idea that attracted a lot of attention from Twitterati, with many influential names pledging to the cause.

But, for those with no money to contribute, yet who feel strongly about music and what Rhythm House stood for, help can go beyond the monetary. Take this group of road trippers from Mumbai for example, who have come up with the idea of keeping Rhythm alive - on the road.

The group, which comprises about 250 car lovers across Mumbai and Thane, are in the process of composing an anthem that captures the essence of 'keeping the rhythm alive'. The anthem will be dedicated to spreading awareness about Rhythm House, and will be played by the gang on their next journey from Mumbai to Nashik; on the way, the group also plans to hand out printed lyrics, as well as perform live for people, and, if all goes as planned, come back and showcase the anthem live for Mumbaikars at Kala Ghoda.

Deepak Ananth, co-founder of roadtrippersclub, which he calls a non-profit solely for those passionate about driving, says, "Today, we are nearly 250 members who drive around the outskirts of Mumbai and rural Maharashtra."

When asked how a car-lover/road-tripping group decided to get involved with something as far removed as the Rhythm House, Deepak said that a lot of group members are musicians and feel strongly about the shutting down of Rhythm House and wanted to do their bit for its revival. He explained, "Road tripping and music go hand-in-hand. We have members who are musicians - a rapper, a singer, and a composer. On May 12, around 70 of us will be going on a road trip to Nashik, and will play the final version of the anthem on our car speakers, as well as perform the song live for people."

He said the idea is to create awareness about Rhythm House. "The whole theme is to keep Rhythm alive. The revival project is a trigger in itself, the larger idea being to spread awareness of how music is an important part of our everyday lives," Deepak said.