In 2011, I was playing drums with several bands in the indie music scene. Through that time, I was exposed to the creative underground of the city - artists and communities carving their own niche in on-the-fringes scenes. The internet did not exist as it does today, where every moment, whether worthy or not, is documented and shared on social media. This was a time when the underground truly existed, undiscovered by mainstream media. These vibrant sub-cultural scenes existed in isolation, devoid of much mainstream coverage. So I began documenting these sub-cultures as some form of time capsule, capturing moment in the life of the city. It was also meant to be a showcase of the contemporary face of the multi-layered city that was New Delhi. The project was called Now Delhi.

Here’s what the website looked like in 2012 courtesy scrapes from Waybackmachine:

Slumgods was a two-part feature on the B-Boying scene in New Delhi in 2011, being nurtured by a not-for-profit organization in Khirkee village called Tiny Drops hip hop community. The center worked with at-risk children and enabled skill and personality building through the elements of hip hop like Beatboxing, B-Boying, and Rap music. Tiny Drops provided a safe haven for children who were exposed to extremely harsh living conditions from an early age and gave them a positive outlet to put their mind and energy into. The space catered to youth between 8-18 years, and helped develop a solid foundation in the art forms. The center was led by Netarpal 'Heera' Singh who mentored the children and was a prominent name in the Indian B-boying scene. He also set up a similar program in Dharavi in Mumbai which went on to become the Slumgods foundation of Dharavi. 

Extension Khirkee was a feature on a group of street artists working within Khirkee extension - an urban village in South Delhi, mostly inhabited by lower-income groups of people. It is a place that clearly represents the socio-economic disparity of New Delhi. Separated by a small road, Khirkee extension has two of the biggest shopping malls of New Delhi across it. Mecca’s of opulence visible throw the windows of modestly built one-two bedroom appartments. Extension Khirkee was a community-art project aimed at addressing these dichotomies.

Tihar Jail is the largest maximum security prison in South Asia. Delhi band Menwhopause conducted several workshops with inmates, all convicted felons, as a form of Music therapy / social reintegration program and helped create an in-house band called ‘The Flying Souls’. The band featured inamtes convicted of various crimes ranging from fraud to kidnapping and murder. The access to film within the permises of the prison was unprecedented -  this was one of the first time visuals from within the compound were published. Thefilm featured interviews with inmates and their experiences, and a performance within the walls of the storied prison complex.

Undying Inc were an extreme metal band from New Delhi. I was interested in probing how the harsh nature of the city influenced their music. Plus, I wanted to shoot an extreme metal band in extreme slow motion. Pretty simple that.

Visuaral was a feature on the emerging audio-visual + electronic music scene of New Delhi through BLOT. Basic Love of Thing or BLOT were an Electronic Music / Mixed media ensemble that had an edgy, yet extremely native identity. They were one of the pioneers of the immersive music experience of the country.

As an consequence of the Slumgods series, I became well connected with a few of the B-boying crews. Through them i found out about the ‘Cypherholic’ which was a Bboy / Breakdance face-off competition. Crews from all over the country came together to strut their stuff, with kids from all walks of lifeparticipating in a one on one elimination format. This was at the Goethe Institut in New Delhi in 2012.

The Vinyl Records were a indie / post punk all girl band from New Delhi. They are also girls living in a city unsafe for women. This feature explored what it meant to be a girl in the city, and the statement an all girl band makes.

Indigo Children were one of the most prominent bands in the country in the early - mid 2000’s, and also good friends. They represented the best of the Indie music scene in that moment  This was the first ever Now Delhi film

This was the first film made with the graffiti writers of New Delhi who did a collab wall with visiting artists from Germany and Spain. This was the first ever Now Delhi film