Find out what's happening at Music Basti and read more about what went into Dhanak Dhin.

Boondon Mein

Created first for “Monkey on the Roof” (2010), the unfinished Boondon Mein has poured it’s magic, in complete form featured in Dhanak Dhin.

The idea for Boondon Mein grew out of a very hot June afternoon at “Ummeed” Home. The boys and Five8, as they sat on the floor of one of the empty classrooms all looked yearningly through the crack in the black painted metal door that was slightly ajar (keeping in the heat, or keeping it out?). This door opened into the very large, dry and cracked earth of the yard, because truly the room was even hotter than it was outside. Boondon Mein was created with a group of boys from Ummeed Home (located in Okhla Mehrauli, of the Dil Se Campaign, Delhi) , more prominently so with Suraj, Aakash, Satya Prakash, Rahul, Deepak and Prem, with the members of Five8 (Adhir, Aveleon, Robin, Shiv and Steve). Recorded at PlugNPlay Studios, it created a unique musical experience for the children, Five8 and the team at Music Basti, sharing the studio to compose Boondon Mein.

The refrain in the song sings of the magic that raindrops hold, bringing to life new dreams every day, and stirring each heart they touch.

Read the Artist Profiles.

Watch the Artists Interviews.

Photo by Sikandar Kumar

Artists Notes

Robin Mathew | The whole experience working with the boys has been wonderful. I never knew they had so much talent and so much interest and dedication. The boys have given their best, they’ve put in their heart and soul into this project. It reflects in every word they sing. The song has turned out brilliant, thanks to all the efforts put in by the Music Basti team and of course the boys.

Steve Peter | For me working with the kids was a very overwhelming experience. It was a deep insight into the lives of street children and just spending a few hours with them each day while working on the song made me change the way I look at the world around me.

Aveleon Vaz | It was a good experience recording with the kids…I had a lot of fun! Working with the kids means things have to be broken down to their purest most enjoyable form. There’s a lot to learn from their innocent, honest approach to music.

Shiv Ahuja | We’ve been working with the boys for a while now it’s just fantastic to see them grow! From casual lessons and workshops to full on gigs at HRC and other big venues in the city. Recording the songs was the next logical step and boy was it fun! The boys recorded the song in 2 hours flat and then it took us 3 times that amount of time to do our parts. Just goes to show how far they’ve come. What the recording doesn’t tell you is the sheer joy and happiness that we got to take back home everyday after meeting the children. It’s so much more than just a workshop, than just a song. It’s the kind of thing that you have to experience yourself to fully understand how it affects you. You’ve heard about Music Basti, you’ve seen the pictures and heard the fantastic music – but you cannot ever fully prepare yourself for the experience of actually working with these lovely children. Overwhelming, really.