Kaaktaal: Music from the unlikeliest of places

In December of 2018, the Dhaka Central Jail authorities had decided to make various musical instruments available to the inmates. The intention was to introduce a creative outlet for the prisoners. Many inmates, at some point in their lives, were interested in making music. They either learnt to sing or play an instrument, but never had the luxury of pursuing it.  

Inmates wrote, composed and performed original music. Thirteen songs were published from the Dhaka Central Jail's YouTube channel under the tag 'Karagarer Gaan' (songs from prison). 'Neel Shohore Brishti' was the last song released from the channel. 

The collaborative effort, however, would be kept alive by Asif Iqbal – popularly known as AiA Lemonsky. He continued the programme under the name Kaaktaal, the serendipity of life.

Kaaktaal later became a band, and is presently composed of AiA Lemonsky (composer, lyricist and vocalist), Nazm Anwr (flute) and Alex Joven (percussion). Lemonsky and Anwr had known each other from university. Joven, however, was a fan of their music and later joined them to form the trio.   

Only one out of the three members is a former inmate, but the band did not disclose who it was, or why he was imprisoned. 

Photo: Courtesy

Kaaktaal made its first public appearance in August 2021 at Studio 6/6. They have performed live in over 30 shows all over Bangladesh. Two of the band members have day jobs. Lemonsky and Anwr are working as architects, and Joven is presently a student. They still continue to make music out of passion. 

"Making music  is a way for us to relieve stress. We express ourselves through it and it helps us heal," said Lemonsky to The Business Standard. "Whoever appreciates our music, we feel a responsibility to serve them." 

"We don't have too many requirements when performing live, we just need a place to sit and talk. All we want is to connect with our audience. We have done spontaneous shows in various campuses and hundreds of people gathered around us just to enjoy the moment together under a tree," he added. 

Kaaktaal has written almost 250 songs but has only performed 30 of them live till date. They continue to create new music which are later shared on the band's social media pages. Some of their popular tracks include 'Abar Dekha Hole', 'Dhulo', 'Kichu Nei', 'Odbhut', 'Chorki', 'Jhoruk Nirjhar', 'Bhoy', and 'Shiuli'. 

They continuously experiment with their sound and their music has a very surreal feel to it. Their song 'Odhbhut' explores the idea that nothing is real, and that the world we live in is a figment of our imagination. 'Abar dekha holey' is about wishful thinking, and reuniting with a loved one later in life. 'Kichu Nei' makes one feel helpless, but it also inspires independence, and peace.

Kaaltaal plans to record more of their tracks and release them online. They want the music to always be freely accessible to their fans. "We want to keep expressing ourselves honestly without being intimidated."

Kaaktaal started its journey from the unlikeliest of places, and they wish to go with the flow of life, celebrate the ups and downs of existence and continue their free-spirited adventure as a band.