Our planet, our parent: Soumik Datta talks about his animated short film premiered at COP26 summit

The 24-minute film tells the story of Asha, a young climate refugee from Bengal, who searches for her father

Nine years ago, Soumik Datta turned down an invitation from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to tour with them. His reason is self-effacing. He says he was not ready for it. But Soumik’s choice of projects informs us that popularity is not something he fervently pursues. Right from his early days, he veered away from conventions.

Growing up in London in his early teens, Soumik played the sarod. His band, Circle of Sound, which he formed with an Austrian friend, was a mix of drums and sarod, alaap and bass, jor and hip-hop. He collaborated with folk percussion artiste Cormac Byrne to rescore Satyajit Ray’s 1969 film Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, mixing contemporary orchestra with Indian classical and folk sounds. In 2019, for a BBC series, Rhythms of India, he travelled across India to explore its diverse culture and history through music. This April and May, he, with a 40-member team of musicians and dancers, performed in front of empty seats in Britain’s iconic cultural centres like the British Museum and the Royal Albert Hall. The idea was to break the silence with new music in these spaces shut down during the pandemic.

Art, for him, is not merely entertainment. He believes it “is a vehicle to carry messages.” Among the messages his recent works convey, is one about our relationship with the environment. His latest EP, Jangal, was his response to the already unfolding ecological crisis around the world. Soumik’s latest work, , an animated musical short film, emphasises this issue.