Saurav Moni has an international reputation as a performer of, and advocate for, the folk music genres of West Bengal, India. Saurav is the founder of the band Majhi-Mallah (“Band of Boatmen”), which uses traditional Bengali instruments and genres to explore the imaginary and metaphorical journey of a group of boatmen. A leading exponent of the genre of boat songs called Bhatiyali, Saurav is credited with introducing Bhatiyali to urban audiences and popularizing them among urban youth, as well as stimulating renewed interest in the genre within its riparian heartland. Along with a small handful of other practising artists, he is credited with securing the contemporary survival of Bhatiyali.
Saurav has contributed significantly to efforts to sustain and reinvigorate old local song genres traditionally sung by boatmen, peasants, and wandering minstrels. As part of his involvement in the Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs, he has documented folk music repertoires across West Bengal, led music workshops and training programs for local children and youth, performed Bhatiyali (and other genres) at all levels from the village through to the international, and released album recordings that fuse Bhatiyali and other rural folk traditions with contemporary world music sounds. His workshops, performances, recordings, and teachings have revived regional and national interest in the folk music of West Bengal.
