" Strisvara, an all-women music and cultural exchange project, will take place in Bengaluru come September 10. Organized by Arun Sivag and NH Subhash Gowda -the 18-day residency and concert tour programme will see female musicians from the US, Sweden, Spain and Nepal engage in music with independent Indian artistes, along with those from native Soliga tribe of Biligirirangana Hills. Malabika and Sanjay of BrahmaKhyapa, who are curating the project, said, “It will be a confluence of Indian urban and t tribal and international female artistes. Five Soliga tribe women will collaborate with five female musicians from t across the world to create unique music. We are waiting to see how this collaboration shapes out. "

"Auster Loo and Brahma Khyapa Create Musical Magic. The search for enchanting sounds leads to some interesting musical combinations. The language of emotions is almost the same across the world. In recent times, baul music, the itinerant folk form of Bengal, has had its tryst with fusion. It’s possibly the free-flowing character of the music that lends itself to a global musical blend. The city of joy recently witnessed one such collaboration between Auster Loo from Belgium and Brahma Khyapa from Kolkata. Auster Loo consists of Simon Leleux who plays percussions from Arab and the Middle East and flutist Lydia Thonnard."...

"During the Kolkata residency, hosted by the U.S Consulate General in Kolkata, the team also connected with Malabika Brahma, an alum of the State Department’s sibling program OneBeat, and her musical partner Sanjay Bhattacherjee, to mix hip-hop with Baul-Bengali folk. Kolkata audiences were amazed by the fusion displayed in "BaulBeats," as the baul-hip hop collaboration work has come to be known. Akin to the creation of bossa nova, a style of music borne out of the cultural diplomacy collaborations between the Jazz Ambassadors and Brazilian musicians, audiences and media in Kolkata were eager to learn more about this new musical style.

"Malabika Brahma, a OneBeat fellow from India, teaches fifth grader Britton Bateman, how to play her Khamak instrument during a workshop at the ArtsCenter’s afterschool program on Sept. 27. Brahma said it is important for children to listen to each other and share, and she said that music can help teach these lessons. “The kids are the first steps in building society,” she said

"The American musicians were joined on stage by Malabika Brahma, lead vocalist and composer of Brahmya Khyapa who visited the US last year as part of OneBeat and did a two-week tour along the east coast of America right up to New York.

"Hip- hop is the next level to my music where I can take my issues to the world-Malabika Brahma, a singer from India"

"Re-imagining Tagore’s 'Postmaster. Kheyar Tori is sung by Malabika Brahma, an accomplished singer of Baul songs, who has also sung in Hindi for the album Gulaab Gang. The most striking component of the film’s trailer is the Kheyar tori song which almost feels like the theme motif of the movie. Listen to it separately and you realise, even if you are only faintly familiar with the language, that it attempts to plumb into the depths of pain experienced by the lead woman, a subaltern creation of Tagore. Listening to the song and reading the story simultaneously, I felt the tune tries to capture the third-last paragraph in which the postmaster, while bidding adieu to the village where he always felt like an outcast, experiences despair as he observes the “rain-swollen river” that looks like “a stream of tears welling up from the earth. The trailer ends as it begins, with a funeral, with the high-pitched tune of Kheyar Tari."

"Folk-fusion band BrahmaKhyapa to perform in France. The band comprising couple Sanjay and Malabika, among other musicians, will perform in France over the weekend. "There's a book launch and we've been invited to perform there. From there, we'll be going to Belgium for a one-week workshop on music. After that, we'll be returning to France, where we have another show lined it. God willing, there will be more shows once we reach France," said Sanjay, guitarist of the band, before leaving the city."

“Courageous tunes commemorate Nirbhaya Diwas" "I respect and support the cause to make Nirbhaya Diwas a special day . My sincere thanks to the organizers for taking this initiative and making us part of it. My only request to men would be to respect us as human beings," said Malabika Brahma, who rendered Khanchar bhitor ochin pakhi and Hridhmajhare rakhbo."”

"Her songs are on everyone's lips. But Malabika Brahma is unfazed by success. An exchange program took me to the US and there were other world music projects. It's only after the trailer released, did I understand that Gulaab Gang was big. Within a week, the trailer garnered 3 million hits. It was very exciting. I started training under my mother when I was all of three. She would stand with a stick and make sure that I was doing my riyaaz. As a child, I was trained in Indian classical and Rabindrasangeet. It was only during my university days that I started getting exposed to baul music. There have been times when I have left home because I wanted to make my own music. Around that time, I met Sanjay and my love for music started growing. He believed in me and suggested that we form a band. When he asked me what should be the name of our band, I said Brahma Khyapa, as that was my email address for long."

"Ahmed Rock, a pioneer of hip-hop in Egypt, who consciously simplifies his raps in order to deliver his messages about the revolution clearly to the largest audience possible. He and his collective, Revolution Records, use a portable studio to record, produce and engineer their music, but at this moment, he’s in the painting studio at the Atlantic Center for the Arts making beats to back the incredibly powerful vocal of Indian singer Malabika Brahma, whose voice is so strong, it shakes those in attendance to stunned tears. Yang Fan is on guitar. Jiha Park is on the taepyeongso, a Korean oboe that rivals Brahma’s intensity in pitch. The only natural correlation between preferred genres of any musician in the room is that Ahmed Rock is joined by an underground New York MC, YC the Cynic. What they’re creating is definitely hip-hop, but it’s certainly not hip-hop we’ve heard before."

"We get some really weird combinations that we would have never put together otherwise," Marianetti says. For example, Russian beatboxer Masta Mic found common ground with Malabika Brahma, an Indian singer who specializes in Baul style, an Indian minstrel tradition. We never would have expected those two to hit it off musically, but they really did,"

"Brahma found the U.S. audiences “largely open-minded.” They often showed interest in her culture and almost after every performance “encouraged and appreciated the music a lot. nspired by the social engagement workshops with children she attended in Durham during OneBeat, Brahma wants to create similar programs based on music, interactive sessions and dialogues with the youth of rural Bengal.

"Remember the bold female voice in ‘Gulaab Gang’, which stirred your soul for a long time? It belongs to none other than Malabika Brahma. Debuted as a singer in Bollywood with the critically acclaimed ‘Gulaab Gang’, which starred stalwarts like Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, Malabika described herself saying “In today’s world I live on dreams, love and magic that’s me."

“'Thinking beyond nationality is interesting, beyond what we perceive of as another culture,” he said. “There is so much cross-pollination now with how music moves, so people bring what they feel are their traditions, but often (discover that others share) similar melodies or rhythms. Malabika Brahma, a 32-year-old singer from Calcutta, India, and OneBeat fellow, said the experience so far has been enriching. “OneBeat is like the most important thing that’s happened in my life,” she said, excitement evident in her voice. She is experimenting with new instruments, including unorthodox ones such as door keys and the back of a harmonium, she said. She is eager to collaborate with all of the other musicians in the group and currently is writing a song that employs the beat boxer from Russia, Master Mike, an Israeli flutist and the South Korean player adept at traditional instruments. “I’m learning every second,” Brahma said, quickly, in her Indian accent."”

“Call it ‘alternative folk’ or what you will; the raw and timeless appeal of traditional folk music and spiritual songs is what Brahma — the newest entrant on the city’s folk-rock block — promises to deliver. A journey into the heart of these traditions provided Sanjoy and Malabika a first-hand view of the culture that lies beneath.The two also organised the first Baul Fakir Utsav in Calcutta in 2004. “We brought in nearly 80 Bauls and Fakirs from all over rural Bengal, including Birbhum and Nadia, who were joined by noted musicians from the city,” smiles Sanjoy. It’s no surprise the couple is known among its Baul brethren as “Brahma Khyapa”.”

“A very interesting duo is husband and wife team, Brahma Khyapa, who do straight-ahead Baul and other folk material against a western background, often pairing up with international musicians. Other genres”

“...As guests started to trickle in, the rhythmic beatings of the dhak announced the commencement of Amar Somoy Sharadiya Adda organised by The Times of India on September 23 for the third consecutive year. ..The bash began with dance performances by Beat Busters enacting the victory of Ma Durga over Mahishashur hinting at the ensuing festive season. Thereafter, it was time for some top notch musical performances by percussionist Taufiq Qureshi, sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee, baul and folk band Brahmakhyapa..."”

“The launch of The Times of India Amar Shomoy magazine was a star-studded affair...The final act by Brahmakhyapa had Bickram joining in.And the percussionist called everyone up on stage to be part of the free-for-all jamming.The evening could well have gone on.But sadly,we had to end.So,we did, said Bickram on a final note.”

“Brahmakhyapa’s Malobika debuts as an anchor for a Durja Puja-related show..Malobika is one who is interested in different genres of songs. She sings baul, Sufi and even agomoni songs,””

“Brahma Khyapa's performance was mesmerizing to say the least. After the show that ended just before midnight, the listeners that had many a connoisseur of music were heard discussing how spiritual music could be mingled with new-age sound to produce a hypnotizing effect. ”

"The couple also gave away T-shirts and CDs of their first album“Bhromor” to the audience. Released in July this year, the album is a gist of the couple's journey and experiences over the last seven years. Titled “Bhromor”, the songs are about a bumblebee which goes from flower to flower sucking nectar."

“New Delhi: The colour of music is turning green.At the Trade Fair,Brahmakhyapa,a Kolkata-based fusion band that adds a dash of rock to Bengals baul,sang to promote jute usage. Its not just their lyrics that are green,says Sanjay Bhattacharya,Brahmakhyapa vocalist.Its also their lifestyle. We believe in using natural material.Ive been wearing jute for the last 10 years, says the 36-yearold.So when Jute Manufacturers Development Council (JMDC) invited the husbandwife duo Malabika is the other vocalist to perform at the Trade Fair,they didnt think twice. Theyve done eco-friendly drills before,having performed at a Greenpeace concert in Kolkata last year. Sanjays preference for environment-friendly goes beyond music.He doesnt remember the last time he visited a doctor,preferring pranayam to pills.The duo has roamed the Bengal countryside,covering hundreds of kilometres on a Bullet.”

“The evening was a complete extravaganza of baul tradition and deliberation. Baul followers, enthusiasts and music lovers were present in hordes to grace the occasion.”

“Brahma Khyapa is the brainchild of Sanjay Bhattacharya and his soulmate Malabika. A few years ago, he was a Bengali rock band guitarist, but now he is a “transformed soul”. And it wasn’t easy. Sanjay had to be trained in “knowledge” by Sadhan Baba, while his guru Gour Baba taught him “practical application”. “Gour Baba is unbelievable. From him I’ve learnt anger, sadness, suffering... these are all biochemical reactions. True sadhaks can gain absolute control, and then they are never unhappy.””

“...there have been intelligent engagements with the Baul genre by the talented Kolkata-based band Brahmakhyapa..”

“URBAN HONOUR FOR RURAL LEGEND Saturday’s downpour set the tone for an evening of earthy musical delights as baul/fusion band Brahma Khyapa took the stage to pay tribute to a living legend, Subal Das Baul. Titled Sahaj Manush, the concert brought together the electric guitar and the ektara, and Bangla dhol rubbed shoulders with the saxophone and keyboards. Artist Suvaprasanna felicitated Subal baul, who has performed in nearly 25 countries and inspired many, including Paban Das baul, who was “initiated” by the veteran at 14. Brahma Khyapa was joined by Rashid Golam Fakir from Murshidabad. Shilajit sang the contemporary version of a baul song with bassist Bachcha by his side and ended amid shouts of “enjoy guru”. Subal baul — ageing but spirited — performed in his inimitable style towards the end. The Brahma Khyapa team drew the curtains with chants of ‘Hare Krishna’, with Rashid Golam Fakir joining in.”

“Sanjay and Malabika of Brahma Khyapa have been roped in by Aniket Chattopadhyay for the theme song of his next big screen venture. The duo’s relationship with the director goes back a long way. “We were in talks with Aniketda for a film, but before that could happen, he approached us for this film. He was looking for a perfect theme song and I entrusted Malabika with the responsibility. Aniketda listened to the baul song, Na bujhe mojona pirite and zeroed in on it,” says Sanjay, who feels it’s important to breathe fresh life into Tollywood music. “Film music in Bengal has reached a saturation point and in the name of good songs, at times, what one gets is a copy of clichéd music. We want to consciously break away from the mould,” he adds.”