Soumik Datta Talks New Projects ‘Songs of the Earth’ and ‘Silent Spaces’

When it rains, it pours for U.K.-based, Indian-origin sarod artist and composer Soumik Datta. While that can be down to the climate crises, we could say that metaphorically for the month Datta has had.

November was a good month for Datta. After 18 months without gigs, he found himself presenting his audio-visual project Songs of the Earth — an animated short film set to an album — to an online audience at The UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (Conference Of Parties aka COP 26), while performing on-ground in Hamburg for a live show. Understandably, it was an incredible experience for the artist. “I feel blessed that the film and album have been received with such open arms by music lovers, environmental organizations and the climate change community which shows that the arts have a vital role to play in the fight to protect our planet now.”

Songs of the Earth is a stirring film that narrates the story of a young adolescent named Asha and how the words of her father guide her. Created by illustrators Anjali Kamat and Sachin Bhatt, the film was commissioned by the British Council. Earlier this year, Datta worked on a six-part visual album titled Silent Spaces, helming production duties for a record that aimed to “break the silence of iconic cultural spaces shuttered during the pandemic.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone India, Datta talks about the making of Songs of the Earth, environmental activism and his upcoming show ‘Hope Notes.’ Excerpts:

What was it like conceptualizing the short film for Songs of the Earth with Sachin and Anjali? How many months did that take? 

In the summer of 2020, the news read that climate disasters caused more internal displacement than war. More than 5 million people were displaced that year, mostly from Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. This had a deep impact on me, especially as someone privileged, living in London, part of the Global North… what came out was in the shape of a short story — about a young climate refugee called Asha searching for her father across burning forests and melting glaciers. This was the start of Songs of the Earth.

At the time, I had no idea that this story, a response to what I had seen on the news, would premiere inside the UN-run Blue Zone at COP26. I’m deeply grateful to the British Council for their commission which led me to partner up with two of the brightest, most creative illustrators I’ve had the privilege of working with — Sachin Bhatt and Anjali Kamat. Watching the story of Asha come to life in their hands and on our screens was the highlight of my year! 

How important was it to have a young girl as the protagonist for this story? I can imagine you were perhaps influenced by the likes of young activists like Malala Yousafzai or Greta Thunberg.

Greta and Malala are heroes of our time — no doubt they influenced me subconsciously. But the idea of Asha came from somewhere else. I wanted to reflect the bond that humans have with the planet through a simple parent and child relationship. The planet is our parent. And we are its children. So Asha is us — humankind. She walks through disasters — one after another— with hope burning in her heart, yearning to find her lost father and be reunited once again. The word ‘Asha’ of course means ‘hope’ in Bengali and Hindi (which are my mother tongues). And as another hero of mine, Sir David Attenborough put it during his speech at COP26, “Our motivation should not be fear, but hope”.

Calling for positive action is why we made this film. It isn’t a harbinger of doom but rather an invitation to build a better future through coming together as a global community. One of the songs in the album has the lyrics “I’m Your Ocean, You’re My Sky” which of course is — the horizon — a place that is unattainable, but something to strive for, a hopeful destination on the other side of this storm. 

Along with Silent Spaces, and prior to that Jangal and stuff in between, what have you learned about the way the world listens (or perhaps finds it difficult to listen, if that’s the case) to environmental concerns? 

We have been saturated by statistics, overwhelmed by graphs. The internet is bursting with carbon figures and yet we are still disconnected. I believe people only really listen — not through their ears and brains — but through their hearts. It is stories of other human beings that connect us, make us one, because ultimately, we are empathetic creatures. We need stories to make us laugh, cry and to drive change.

So the story of Asha and her baba represent the under-represented voices of our world. Theirs is the voice of fishing communities living in rural, coastal areas in the Global South, marginalized, silenced and most at risk from natural disasters. So I insisted on casting voice actors from Bengal who could bring an authentic rural ‘accent’ to the characters. I think this authenticity is also why people have responded in such a compelling way. I’m so grateful to actors, Rakesh Ghosh and Aishani De for being the voice of Baba and Asha and to (my mum) Sangeeta Datta for her brilliant voice direction.

Can you tell me a bit about the composition process for Songs of the Earth? Was it all remote due to the pandemic or were restrictions eased up by the time you got to it? 

Songs of the Earth went into production during the pandemic and lockdown. So the entire project (from script writing, storyboarding, animating, music composing and recording and editing) happened remotely! I’ve never really worked like this before and at times, it did feel frustrating to not be in the same room as the animators or the musicians. But I accepted that this was part of the challenge of the project, and as an artist I have always found limitations to be the best fuel for creativity.

Since the source idea of Songs of the Earth had come from the news and current affairs, I went back to consulting with climate reporters, environmentalists and people on the front line of the climate refugee crisis to draw the source material that directly led to the lyrics of each song. “Oceans Rising” speaks of what the oceans will wash over if we are not careful. This includes cities and people, but also greed, power and profit –— all non-sustainable, human behavior which is leading to rising surface temperatures. These lyrics would not have been realized without the invaluable contribution of our climate experts and consultants, a process facilitated by Earth Day Network. 

At COP26, the biggest decisions regarding a sustainable future are often in the hands of lawmakers and companies. Like you’ve said before, we can all possibly do our part to live sustainably. But then, don’t the really big decisions lie elsewhere?

The outcome of COP26 has been questionable and even disappointing. But what gives me hope are the crowds on the streets, the slogans being chanted, the sight of people coming together from all walks of life to unite in a common dream. The hierarchy of power is not working. That is clear. Our leaders are failing to put aside power and profit in order to reduce carbon emissions. This is exactly the time when we need musicians and artist voices to step up and convert climate indifference to positive action. Songs of the Earth will not be the last time that I address this issue through my work. My team and I will continue to produce art that speaks to the big issues of our time. So in the end, perhaps change will come not from law and leadership, but from the stories, heart and community.

In the middle of all your projects, you’ve also got to be part of Reflektor with Anoushka Shankar and Nitin Sawhney’s Journeys. What is it like, juggling so much? 

Britain is bursting with incredible South Asian artistic leaders. Nitin Sawhney and Anoushka Shankar are pioneers in that field. Like me, they also believe in using their platform to champion urgent messages of our time, be it immigration or refugee laws. I’m privileged to call them friends and have the highest respect for their work. Performing at their festivals was a soul-enriching experience. Nitin actually guested on stage with my band too! After 18 months of no concerts, it felt electric to be performing for live audiences again! 

What else is coming up through 2022?

The U.K.’s premiere arts venue Southbank Centre has invited me to produce a new work for them that we will develop in residence within the building. I’m now collecting a team of singers, musicians and dancers to create the new show called Hope Notes, which will address the intersection of climate anxiety, mental health issues and immigration through a multi-disciplinary, big-cast production. It’s a huge project with multiple outputs, videos, performances and tours. I’m just very grateful for the invitation, the recognition and the daily support of my team at Soumik Datta Arts, who are the real engines behind every venture. 

Stream ‘Songs of the Earth’ below and on more platforms here.