Ziskakan, the French band from Reunion Island, rocked Natarani on Friday, with beats that set the amphitheatre vibrating. In her introduction, Natarani director Mallika Sarabhai urged the audience to come dance on stage, which seemed difficult at first, given that Ziskakan is a six-member band and the stage was rather full, with two drum sets, keyboard, flute, guitars, and other instruments. But half way into the 90-minute concert, a few members of the audience, led by a lady in red, did get on stage and groove, weaving their way among the musicians as they played.
With their long hair and funky clothes, Ziskakan’s musicians certainly give out rockstar vibes, and their music is reminiscent of the rock bands of the 1970s, with lots of jamming. Their songs are entirely in Creole, but the Ahmedabad audience’s response showed that music has its own language, irrespective of lyrics. Lead singer Gilbert Pounia spoke in French, with his son, the bass guitarist, providing English translations. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Pounia had everyone singing “mwen renmen ou,” which is Creole for I Love You.
Reunion is an island 100 miles south west of Mauritius and its population is descended from East African, Indian, Chinese, Malay and Vietnamese indentured labour who were taken there to work the sugarcane plantations. Among the Indians, Tamils and Gujaratis form the largest group and Pounia himself is of Indian descent.
The Creole lyrics are actually an important part of Ziskakan’s music and many of its songs are composed by Dev Virahsawmy. One of the songs the band sang at Natarani was titled Banjara, a familiar Indian word.
This is not the first time Natarani is hosting musicians from Reunion Island. Last year, Alliance Francaise brought Maya Kamaty, also from Reunion, to Natarani. The show was a hit, with a whole lot of Ahmedabadis dancing on stage. Maya, as it turns out, is Gilbert Pounia’s daughter.
The Ziskakan band members are:
- Gilbert POUNIA (Voice lead, Guitar)
- Frédéric RIESSER (Drums)
- Wazis LOY (Basse, Flûte, voice)
- Clency SUMAC (Guitar, bobre, Voice)
- Damien HERVIO (Keybords, Kayamb, Voice)
- Fabien BOQUET (Percussions, Voice)
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