Nodi Rocks: Creating climate change awareness through music

Bangladesh is home to one of the most complex river systems in the world. There was a time when there were over 700 rivers in the country, but most of these rivers have either dried out due to climate change or a lack of conservation efforts. 

Whether one believes in climate change or not, the effects of it are very real. Lives of people and animals often depend on a river in the region, and its health can make the difference between life and death for many.   

Sharmin Sultana Sumi, better known as the vocalist and one of the founding members of the popular band Chirkutt, believes that music has always been a powerful tool to reach people's hearts, and she wanted to use it to raise awareness about climate change. 

"Whether we understand it or not, climate change is one of the most alarming issues of our time," said Sumi to The Business Standard, adding, " We all have so much going on in our lives that we don't always find the time to actively think about these things, so I wanted to use music to reach out to people and bring focus on these issues."

About four years ago, Sumi had envisioned a project to create climate change awareness. Even though she has not revealed the project in its entirety as of yet, a part of it is an initiative called 'Nodi Rocks'. 

"We are all aware of the fact that Bangladesh is a riverine country. Growing up, I have seen the beauty of these rivers and what they mean to so many lives. From 700 rivers, there are about 400 of them left right now. Rivers are drying up and it seems as if we don't care,"  said Sumi. "The people who can bring about the change we need are the youths of this country, but our next generation are not aware of this. It is not their fault though, they don't know about the existence of many of these rivers." 

The idea behind Nodi Rocks is to familiarise the youth with the many rivers of Bangladesh. Sumi wanted to write a song for every river, which would encapsulate its beauty, and tell their story – even the ones that are no longer here. However, she would soon have difficulty raising funds for the project. 

"I had come up with the idea but I did not have the means to fund the project. I had pitched this plan to many people and organisations for about four years, but it came to no avail." 

The Swiss Embassy had approached Sumi to see if she wanted to work with them during October of 2021. She shared her plans for Nodi Rocks and they instantly took an interest in the project. 

The first season of Nodi Rocks commenced in February of this year with a focus on seven rivers – Kushiyara, Padma, Sangu, Chitra, Pashur, Dahuk and Buriganga. The songs were written by Sumi and seven established and up-and-coming bands – which includes Cryptic Fate, Arbovirus, Chirkutt, Smooches, Ark, Bangla Five, and F Minor – composed and performed the tracks. 

"The river is always flowing and never takes a break. It is full of energy. We wanted our music to capture this feeling, that is why our song is quite energetic," said Shakib Chowdhury, vocalist and bassist of Cryptic Fate, about their song Kushiyara. "Rivers are also a wonder of nature. Even though I love guitar distortion – I often say you cannot make music without it – we felt it would not accurately represent what we were trying to do here. That is why we kept everything very clean." 

"I grew up in Sylhet and this was the first time I saw Kushiyara with my own eyes. It was an amazing experience. I think Nodi Rocks is a fantastic project, and I am not just saying that because I am involved in it. Our impact on nature needs to be addressed and we need more people to realise what is happening," he added.  

"Sumi Apa had written and composed our song Dahuk. We had also recorded the track in her studio. We are very grateful that we had the opportunity to be a part of this project from the very first season," said Pinky Chiran, lead vocalist of F Minor. 

Five of the seven songs have been released so far, and each track was accompanied by a music video directed by Maruf Raihan of Corpovisuals. The music videos were shot at the banks of each river. The tracks are available for streaming on Facebook, and through the Nodi Rocks app and website. 

"Rivers have a spirit of their own, but nowadays the feeling we get when we think about the spirit of the river is sorrow. The young people in Bangladesh are very smart. I believe they will learn to better love nature, as well as one another, through this project. And when they grow up, they will be the ones to fix the mistakes of our past," said Sumi.  

Nodi Rocks initiative is supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh and facilitated by Manusher Jonno Foundation. The project is being executed and implemented by Salt Creatives.