Dropati
| Dropati | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Suriname |
| Genres | Baithak Gana |
Considered by many to be the mother of modern-day Baithak Gana, Dropati was introduced to the Indian music industry in the Caribbean by way of her album Let's Sing and Dance.[1] Produced in 1968, the album includes captivating wedding folk songs that easily transport the listener to colorful Indian village weddings dating centuries before Dropati's time.
Dropati's epic songs such as "Gowri Pooja" and "Lawa" became such big hits that they firmly secured her name in history as one of the pillars of Indo-Caribbean music. Let's Sing & Dance and Ramdew Chaitoe's King of Suriname remain two of the best-selling East Indian albums of all time. The effects of the release of these two albums were tremendous. Not only did they prove East Indian music to be a legitimate art form but they also united the East Indians of the Caribbean regardless of whether they were Guyanese, Trinidadian, Jamaican or Surinamese. However, these two albums also showed the need for a more popular, non-religious form of East Indian music, one that would combine the high-pitched dholak, dhantal and tassa beats with the folk and Hindi lyrics that made Let's Sing & Dance and King of Suriname so popular. Dropati's drummer was Sahadat Chedi, who was also the drummer for Ramdew Chaitoe, and many renowned Suriname Baithak Gana artists.
Notes and references
- ↑ Saywack, Rajendra (December 1999). A History Of East Indian Chutney Music In The Caribbean.