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“I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by. Or how strangers still say, “bless you” when someone sneezes, a leftover from the Bubonic plague. ‘Don’t die,’ we are saying.”
Poet Danusha Laméris believes that we all rely on small kindnesses to get us through life, but what does one do when the lines between reality and the self are blurred?
For those suffering from ‘Depersonalisation Derealisation’ (DPDR) – a mental health condition where a person cannot recognise people and places around them despite having known them for a long time – life then exists in isolation, a blur between reality and detachment.
Debut band That Room In The Corner with PV Ananth as songwriter and vocalist, Ashwin Syam as guitarist and music producer, Ashwin Shanker on bass, Ritu Gopal on violin and Suhit on piano attempts to bring the story of one of their friends with DPDR to the forefront with their single ‘Heart Awakes.’
The single is a stark reminder that we owe each other kindness and empathy. The video for the single adds to the raw vulnerable space that the lyrics and music attempt to create but it is the violin in the backdrop that adds an added sense of intimacy and melancholic atmosphere. We got in touch with the debut band to know more about the single and their way ahead.
Q. Can you tell us a little about the project?
Heart Awakes is a song that has been nine years in the making. The song is about how being there for someone, in any capacity, can truly bring a difference to their lives and their ability to cope with challenges that are difficult to encounter alone. Even though it might often not be possible to truly understand what the other person is going through, just the smallest act of being there for them could save a life. The music video is from two perspectives: a woman with ‘Depersonalisation Derealisation’ (DPDR – a mental health condition), who often cannot recognise people and places despite knowing them for long and a man that she is in a relationship with, and who goes through emotions of coping with her sense of unreality, but continues to be a loving, stable presence. In saying this, Heart Awakes is much more than a song – it’s a message of reassurance.
Q. Why did you choose this particular theme for your music?
The song was written and composed by P.V. Ananth, our lead vocalist, back in 2012. He wrote the song for his then-girlfriend who was going through a rough time. It came from a place of frustration, where nothing he said to her seemed to help. The song was his medium of saying, “I am there for you, no matter what”. Over the years, the song became something that helped Ananth cope with the loss of a friend. From the very beginning, the song has had held the theme of being there for someone as they go through life’s hardest moments. In sharing the process behind the song with friends, it came to light that regardless of whether we understand the manifestation of a struggle or not, one’s mere presence and gesture of support can support healing and survival. This is reflected in the lines, “We know that we aren’t even in this square…”
Q. What was the inspiration and what was your creative process like?
We produced a rough scratch of the track in a completely DIY fashion as part of this prototype album called ‘Echoes from Far Away’ in 2012. At that point, we were new to recording and production, and the band went on hiatus in 2015 after college ended, the track remaining unfinished. Fast forward to 2020, when the lockdown persuaded us to reconsider the possibility of being able to compose and produce remotely.
When we were brainstorming ideas for the music video, we decided to interview our friends to find stories that would best fit the lyrics of Heart Awakes. We came across a friend’s story about her experiences with Depersonalisation Derealisation (DPDR), which arose her history and resultant mental health issues. People with DPDR, all of whom have diverse perspectives and ways of understanding their lives, often lose touch with a sense of self and surroundings. This has a profound impact on their lives and those of their loved ones. We felt her narrative, and her emphasis on experiencing unreality was a perfect fit for the lyrics and the story we are trying to tell.
Q. Tell us a little about the music video.
The music video is the story of a couple that has a strong sense of companionship and love despite their minds being two very different landscapes. The woman has DPDR, and often cannot recognise people and places despite knowing them for long, due to a traumatic past. The man that she is in a relationship with goes through the emotions of coping with her sense of unreality, but strives to be a loving, stable presence.
We are trying to emulate authentic visuals according to our friend’s very real experiences of perceiving the world around her in perpetuity. The video has an optimistic tone to it as it progresses, where her partner helps her through the darkest stage of her life. The scenes, however, could also be interpreted as a figment of her imagination. We are not showing the backstory of the characters, but instead, are going straight into their rawest emotions. In the world of Heart Awakes, only these two characters exist. The girl feels walled up in a dark metaphorical room, unable to perceive anything around her, possibly even herself. The guy tenderly helps her get through this rough stage and is a supportive presence despite moments of knowing that she is disconnected and dissociated from any human attachments or memories, even of him.
Q. What do you wish to achieve from this single?
We want the track to reach as many people as possible and spread the message of how being there for someone, even in the smallest capacity, can make a huge difference in their lives. Through this creative process, we are also keen on raising awareness about DPDR. We are trying to be true to her story in terms of the visual treatment and emotions. It will be amazing if our video could give a better understanding of what DPDR is like from the perspectives of the one experiencing it, and loved ones supporting their daily lives and dreams.
Q. What’s next for you?
As a band, we have a few more songs that have been composed since 2012, and we really love how they are shaping up. We will be bringing them to life this year, weaving creative visual narratives around them all. Ashwin Syam, our music producer, has several original songs in Hindi coming soon. One of them is a full-fledged 2D animated music video, a story with a range of soul-stirring emotions.
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