Lyricist Sunayana Kachroo on Working with Sunidhi Chauhan and Her ‘Riyaaz’

Just like musicians who swear by their riyaaz (practice), Boston-based Indian lyricist and writer Sunayana Kachroo too has a routine to keep honing her craft. She says, “The ‘riyaaz’ for writing is reading, listening, and observing.”

The lyricist who has often drawn from Kashmir for her words on songs like “Dil Khanjar” (sung by Rashmeet Kaur and produced by Saurabh Lokhande) and “Dilbaro” (with Junaid Ahmed), recently also worked with India’s top singers, including Sunidhi Chauhan on “Tum Kehte Ho” with composer-producer Saleel Kulkarni and “Tu Zarra Hai” with Sonu Nigam. Previously, there was “Pehla Qadam” with Pakistan’s Ali Sethi and New York’s Sunny Jain in 2020 and the 2021 song “Ae Savere” from KashmirRenzu Music, sung by Shankar Mahadevan and composed by Archana Kamath Hegdekar. She notes that songs like “Tum Kehte Ho” and “Dil Khanjar” started out as poems, whereas “Pehla Qadam” and “Dilbaro” were “written on tunes.”

While drawing from Kashmiri origin has been a key idea for Kachroo, she has also worked in mental health issues through her lyrics in a bid to get rid of the taboo around conversations on wellbeing. She says it’s important to keep the narrative simple and accessible while writing about mental health. She says, “If I have a cold, I won’t say that I have an upper respiratory tract infection, I will simply say that I have a cold. Depression or anxiety happens to a lot of people, so let’s normalize it and talk in simple words so that people are not scared to seek help. There should not be any concern of ostracization as we are all dealing with some issues.” She cites the example of writing “Kuch Baqi Hai,” sung by Nigam for the soundtrack to the movie Half Widow, by Kashmiri filmmaker Danish Renzu. She recalls that the director told her to write about “collective hope and moving on.” Kachoor adds, “I wrote ‘Abb jaag zara tu khud ko utha, kuch haath milenge, haath badha,’ [wake now, wake yourself, hands will meet, extend your hand] to highlight the need to reach out for help.

While writing poetry that has then become adapted to a song – like “Tum Kehte Ho” – Kachroo believes “your thought is your muse.” Whereas when she’s commissioned to write lyrics for a song, the melody leads the way. “I usually go on a long drive and keep listening to the tune and let it marinate a little while until words, phrases, and images appear,” she says about her process. She might work on her own but Kachroo refers to herself as an “inherent collaborator” who’s always keen to jam with composers and singers, even if it’s remotely.

Kachroo is feeding both sides of her creativity in upcoming projects. As a tribute to her father Chaman Kachroo, his Urdu nazm titled “Charcha” – written he was a teenager in Kashmir – will give him his first credit as a lyricist on a song featuring vocalists Anuradha Palakurthi and composer Archana Kamath Hegdekar. “We are also working on releasing his book of English poems,” Kachroo says of her father’s works.

With Renzu Music, songs like “Kahan Hai Tu” with Rashmeet Kaur is out and a new song titled “Chingari” – sung by pop band Faridkot’s I.P. Singh – will be out soon and three more songs with vocalist Anuradha Palakurthi. “I will be performing at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York next year with the renowned sitarist Hidayat Khan in collaboration with Sunny Thakkar of SnehArts to celebrate the legacy of Ustad Vilayat Khan,” Kachroo adds. There’s the book of poems titled Tere Jaane Ke Baad in the works for a while which will also be published in 2024.