It’s an anthem of hope

Mona

When you are focusing on your goals, there is a higher power looking after your loved ones… is the belief that comes alive in Rab Raakha, a single by five-member Hindi rock band The Yellow Diary (TYD). And, it’s refurbished, re-done version with singer Akasa comes out with a new name — Dhoondti Firaan!

Rajan Batra from the band explains the move, “Around the time of the release of our music video for Rab Raakha, Akasa connected with us saying she really loved Rab Raakha and wanted to do her version of the song. So, we jumped at the opportunity to have a song with her because we have always been fans of Akasa. It wasn’t pegged to be a separate release, but when we got into the studio and started putting it down, our manager Jui was adamant that we should release it as a sequel of sorts because we all knew we were making something special.”

An apt melody in the current time, there is a persistent need for maintaining positivity and this song serves as an anthem of hope. “These testing times are making us realise the importance of all art forms. Staying motivated and positive at such a difficult time is really tough and art forms like cinema, television and music are doing a great job,” says Vaibhav Pani, the guitarist.

How it began…

The Yellow Diary took shape when Rajan Batra and Himonshu Parikh met and started working on a song titled Marz. They roped-in Vaibhav Pani to play the guitar. After releasing it and receiving critical acclaim, the trio decided to take these songs live, which is when they came across Sahil Shah on drums and Stuart DaCosta on bass. “Ever since, we have stood by each other through thick and thin and have come a long way,” offers Himonshu.

The band members are keeping themselves engaged by learning new things and further honing their craft in these uncertain times. “And once all of this is behind us, we look forward to making music with each other,” says Sahil Shah.

Being grateful

There have been quite a few ups and downs through their journey, but the ups certainly outweigh the downs; says Stuart, “Had it not been for some tough times, we wouldn’t have realised the worth of how far we’ve come today and we are grateful for everything that has come our way.”

The band has done songs that they have also written. “Before every release, we are always in a dilemma of zeroing-in on which song we would like to be out next. Watch out for an update on our social media soon,” offers Rajan.