The IFP Season 12 Festival represented the pinnacle of a new era of creativity and contemporary culture. In keeping with the spirit of  IFP and its enthusiastic attendees, a very special session with a very special band – The Yellow Diary” was organized. The session was called “Maed in India: The Yellow Diary,” and the band was in conversation with renowned podcaster Mae Thomas.

It was one of the final sessions of the IFP Season 12 Festival, so the stage was packed with attendees who wanted to end their festival experience on a high note. The conversation was both entertaining and informative, providing an unheard of first-hand account of what it takes to be one of the country’s most popular rock bands. The band began by discussing their early days. They told the audience that everyone had a different career path before pursuing music full-time and that Rajan and Himonshu were the original founders of the band, which was later on joined by Stu, Sahil, and Vaibhav.

The band then discussed how they make music, which they described as a very random process. It goes like this- They simply get together like any group of friends, start jamming and bounce ideas off each other. When everyone has reached an agreement on an idea, they build on it and start writing the song. They reassured the aspiring musicians in the audience by revealing that there is no secret method to composition and that they are  inspired by all kinds of things they see and experience in life.

The band also emphasized that because they are a team with each member being extremely passionate about music, they are always able to give each other constructive feedback, which greatly aids their music-making process.

When asked about credits, Rajan Batra pointed out that there is no specific role one adheres to in the band. For eg, even though he is credited as the band’s lyricist, he believes it is not entirely correct because everyone in the band is the lyricist. It’s just that he expresses himself through words, whereas the other members express themselves through the instruments they play. At this moment, everyone in the audience knew how tight-knit and loving the band actually is.

The band then discussed their future plans, hinting at the release of multiple songs, self-produced shows, and the release of previously unreleased songs on audio-streaming platforms. They also gave the audience advice on how to find their own sound and the importance of experimenting. They advised the aspiring musicians to embrace disappointment because it would help them identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as what they needed to work on. The session concluded with a wonderful surprise when the band performed a vocal rendition of the song “Roz Roz,” which lifted everyone’s spirit in the audience.

You can get a glimpse of the IFP Season 12 Festival here https://youtu.be/HMSXg_5SETw