Band Brothers

After Partition, that musician, Jea Lal Thadani, moved to Ahmedabad and then to Nai Sarak in Delhi, where the Jea band was formally established, with a branch in Jaipur. Since then, Jea Lal Thadani’s troupe has grown to become the oldest in the trade and enjoys cult status in the wedding bazaar.

Soon, Jea Lal’s son Hira Thadani took over and shifted to the Lajpat Rai market, where grandson Anil is in charge. “In those days, bagpipers, jhankars and the clarinet formed the core of the band,” says Anil, who took over the band while pursuing his graduation. “But today, it is not just a band but a wedding procession planner. With changing technology and competition, things have to be the best. We not only organise music but everything else—lights, horses, chariots, umbrellas, vintage cars, lamp carriers, shehnai, floral designs and even crackers.” Tequila and Babul ke Duwayien are the band’s favourite numbers.

Indeed, in a city which sees up to 10,000 weddings a day and where thousand of bands fight for the pie during the wedding season, Jea Band made sure it constantly upgraded itself. The band members have designer uniforms and their instruments are fancy and bright. Some in the band have been with the group for about three generations now. Most of them are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who, during the off-season, go back to till their lands.

The band had its first big moment when in 1972, it was invited to play at the Republic Day parade. Since then, they have been hired for Ramlila processions and for celebrity weddings—that of veteran actor Manoj Kumar, cricketer Virender Sehwag, and lately the Abhishek-Aishwarya marriage. The band has also performed a cameo in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding and a television serial, Band Master, on wedding bands.

During the marriage season which lasts nearly two months, the band earns up to Rs 20,000 rupees a troupe. But off-season rates could even fall to as low as Rs 5,000. “It’s a seasonal affair, so there aren’t many permanent members,” said Anil.