With cancelled live shows, Prithibi frontman Koushik worries about the future of indie music

After a well-received live show on January 2, singer Koushik Chakraborty of Bangla band Prithibi is in home isolation after feeling sick. Even though he has not tested positive for COVID, the singer said that it is the only sensible thing one can do after feeling sick in this season. Owing to the third wave of the pandemic, all live concerts have either been cancelled or postponed and Koushik feels like he is experiencing a deja vu.
“There were three shows in January and a few more next month. All have been cancelled. If things go on like this, I am not sure what the future will hold for musicians like us. Not just the singers, but the technicians and other people associated with live concerts are facing similar issues,” he added.
Till January 2, however, the situation of live music was only getting better, said Koushik. “The last show was a big hit and we were really happy to see people coming back to the auditoriums after the pandemic. We realised that people still wanted to experience music and not just digital concerts. But then things changed for the worse and we are back to square one,” Koushik said. He feels it is the irresponsible behaviour of some people that has led to the crisis the state is facing today. “At our shows, we distribute masks and sanitisers. In recent past, everyone abided by Covid protocols at our shows. From maintaining social distancing to wearinf masks at all times — no rule was flouted. If this caution was maintained from the very beginning, the situation could have been far better,” he said.