Exclusive Premiere: Sharma and the Besharams Call for Patience with New Single ‘Bas Thodi Der Aur’

It’s been nearly a year since Mumbai indie group Sharma and the Besharams released their four-track EP Bedesi. Now, the band – comprising vocalist and ukulele player Vasuda Sharma, drummer Rahul Hariharan, guitarist and banjo player Chaitanya Bhaidkar and bassist Chirayu Vedekar – is out with a new single, the optimistic “Bas Thodi Der Aur,” written while in lockdown.

Before the coronavirus pandemic hit the globe, the band were planning on hitting the studio to begin work on a new record. However things didn’t pan out the way they wanted to and Vedekar says, “The whole music industry, local and global, have come to a standstill.” The bassist explains that as artists, they live “paycheck to paycheck” and that things have been difficult in these times. That’s exactly what the new song is about. He says, “It’s a message to our brothers and sisters of the fraternity, to wait it out a little longer, and not let the fire die.”

“Bas Thodi Der Aur” opens with acoustic guitar plucking and vocals shared by all the band members while a catchy banjo hook carries the song over hopeful melodies. The track’s accompanying music video features over 50 artists from the country’s indie music scene making an appearance from their homes. The list includes sound engineer Shantanu Hudlikar, New Delhi rockers Parikrama’s keyboardist Subir Malik, Shillong blues outfit Soulmate’s guitarist Rudy Wallang, vocalist Kanchan Daniel, pop duo Simetri, bassists Roop Thomas, Ruell Barretto and Gaurav Balani, vocalist-guitarist Siddharth Basrur, guitarist Adil Manel, composer Merlin D’Souza, singer-songwriter Pragnya Wakhlu and more.

On the artists featured in the clip, Vedekar says, “We’re all friends first, and, for the lack of a better word, co-workers later. All we had to do, was ask them, and they were on for it! Such is the camaraderie of the scene.” Sharma adds, “The indie music scene coming together as one, [we are] putting across the message of hope and reassurance.”

Sharma has been writing plenty of new music while in quarantine and has unlocked a lot of creative ideas that she’s been dabbling with for a while. Next, the band is eager to churn out new music and even start touring once normalcy returns. “We plan to hit the studio and record these songs as soon as the current COVID situation improves,” says Bhaidkar.

Watch the video for “Bas Thodi Der Aur” below: