Bengaluru’s The Counterpoint Crew presents Dakshin Diaries at Alliance Française de Bangalore

The Counterpoint Crew at Alliance Française de Bangalore | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The Counterpoint Crew recently performed Dakshin Diaries at Alliance Française de Bangalore. As a multilingual crew of 20 members, this Bengaluru-based music ensemble brought forward a curated list of classical melodies reimagined through the a cappella tradition.Founded by Kavitha Ramesh last year, The Counterpoint Crew consists of around 25 members, most of whom are, “working professionals and also trained Hindustani and Western classical singers,” says Kavitha.The songs they presented ranged from classical Italian and French compositions to vintage tunes set by Ilaiyaraaja and AR Rahman. The Crew reimagines popular fan-favourites from films and classical compositions and presents them in an all-immersive musical format. The speciality of a cappella performances is the absence of musical instruments.The Crew was formed following Kavitha’s desire to join a choir in the city, and her inability to find one. “I also wanted to do something about the multilingual aspect of music — something that larger audiences would relate to.” Bengaluru being a cosmopolitan city made it easier to establish an ensemble.She says, “We took relatable musical pieces and rearranged them in a choral fashion using the Western classical technique; that is how we are able to reach larger numbers.”One of the songs performed at the event is an original composition by choir member Kaushik Mahalengam. Titled ‘Paravaye,’ and composed in Tamil, the song is about birds, the environment and mountains. “This is the first time we are performing the song live,” says Kaushik. The a cappella arrangement was prepared by Kavitha for this live performance.The song came to Kaushik during a morning walk, about a year ago. “If you listen to the lyrics, it passes through different regions and talks about the birds in those places,” he says, adding this song echoes a person’s desire while looking at a bird soaring majestically. “I also want to be free like them; they don’t have any constraints. That is the inspiration behind ‘Paravaye’.”Members of The Crew come from different States in India, making their performances and compositions diverse. The group came up slowly, with Kavitha reaching out to people she knew and the news spread through word of mouth. "If you ask any chorister, they know every single song, whether it is in Tamil, Hindi or Malayalam.”The crew also performed ‘Maa’ from Taare Zameen Par (2007), ‘Botany’ from Shiva (1990) and ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ from Gunaa (1991) in both Telugu and Tamil. “The popularity of ‘Kanmani’ after Manjummel Boys made the song a perfect choice for this performance.” From ‘Ave Maria’ to ‘Seetha Kalyana Vaibhogame’, Dakshin Diaries travelled across global compositions before landing in Bengaluru for the finale, a Raghu Dixit composition in Kannada. Published - November 10, 2026 12:01 pm IST