An ode to the city of dreams

In his second album, which launches in the city today, a fingerstyle guitarist and singer from Arunachal talks about the hope, loneliness and success that comes with being a Mumbaikar

The first time he performed in Mumbai in 2014, Taba Chake, a finger-style guitarist and singer from Arunachal Pradesh, fell in love with the challenges the city presented. And in January 2018, he shifted to a residence in Andheri West, composing for playback singers and working on jingles. A year on, he feels he has soaked in enough of the city to release his second album, titled Bombay Dreams, which he will launch at a gig this evening.

"That night in 2014, Mumbai seemed impossible [to handle] for someone who comes from a tribal town in Arunachal called Kyunglo, which has a population of 40 people," Chake shares ahead of the gig. "Besides, there are so many artistes here who are all looking for that one big moment. And though it seems difficult to succeed, there is a lot of positivity as everyone carries hope and faith that they will one day get to live their Bombay dream. I also have the same dream," Chake says, explaining the title of the album, which has songs like Shaayad that talk about how invisible one can feel in a fast-paced city. Another track, My Other Side, tackles the issue of one's social media image being different from reality.

The 26-year-old also has two songs in his tribal language, Nyishi, including Hugulo where he talks about feeling like an outsider in his own country. "I want people to know where I come from. I don't want them to call me 'chinki', Chinese or Japanese. When they ask, I want to be given the option of being an Indian from the Northeast first," says Chake, who has also written songs in English as well as Hindi, a language he says he spent a lot of time practising! He is working on releasing an album of Nyishi songs, and one Hindi song.

So, how will he know when his Bombay dream is realised? In response, Chake tells us about the Bengaluru leg of his album tour earlier this week, where he caught the flu and lost his voice on stage. But the gig continued as the audience members joined him on stage and sang as he played along. "That moment is something every artiste dreams of — when people know and sing your song. It made me feel that things are working out for me. I come from a small town, so for me, this is it. I'm living my Bombay dream,"
concludes Chake.

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