By Elora Sen
Dream: To make original music.
I know I have been told not to Wear my soul on the sleeves Of my shirt
I know I've been asked to put On my mask
But I have had enough
No more, No more
They sure don't put on a mask. They sure just love what they do and yes they personify a young vibrant India which is ready to march to the tune of a different drummer. That is Afflatus, an all-woman band from Shillong, Meghalaya, born when four girls, childhood friends just out of school, decided to jump on to the MTV Campus Rock Idols competition in 2004. Almost overnight, Karen Donoghue, Grace and Mercy Miller, and Sharon Zadeng formed a rock band to participate in the competition and went on to be the second runners-up in the finals held in Mumbai, proof that reality shows do change lives.
Afflatus means "divine inspiration" in Latin. "Our band is special not just because we are all women but because we are friends. We love our music and are comfortable with each other," says Grace, who grew up singing for a gospel group and gave up a job as an air-hostess to concentrate on music. She is the lead vocalist and teaches English part-time in a local school, but says, "music is our full time career". Mercy, her younger sister, talks less but is a livewire on stage. She even drove a bus once to reach a concert venue on time. Donoghue teaches mass communication and video production in a Shillong institute. Their sisterhood is steeped in song.
"For us, the sky is the limit. We want to leave our stamp on the world music scene."
Karen Donoghue, Lead Guitarist, Afflatus
While they love live shows, right now they are focused on their album. "We don't really have a hall to practice in, so we hit Mercy's place. But we are a noisy group and neighbors do have a problem," says Donoghue with a twinkle in her eyes. But that doesn't stop them. They have already performed in Delhi and at the annual Autumn Festival in Shillong. "We play independent rock and it is so encouraging to see that audiences are more open to original music. They not only enjoy popular songs but also want to hear a new sound," says Donoghue, the band's lead guitarist.
They don't want to make too much of the fact that they are Shillong's only all-girls band. "That can intrigue people for a short time. They may come in once just to see what we look like. But after that, if our music is not attractive, no one will spend their time or money on us," says Donoghue. This inspired sorority will do what it takes to, in legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen's words, look down into the audience and see themselves.
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