For many listeners, Motherjane occupies a foundational place in the story of Indian independent rock. Emerging from Kochi in the early 2000s, the band built a following through progressive song structures, Carnatic-influenced phrasing and reflective lyricism. At a time when the country’s touring ecosystem was still developing, their music travelled well beyond Kerala, reaching audiences across cities and language barriers.
More than a decade later, the band has reassembled around a renewed creative cycle. The current phase is less about nostalgia and more about reconnecting with a practice that had simply paused.
A reunion that grew out of friendship
In 2024, original members Suraj, Baiju and Deepu Sasidharan began reconnecting informally after years spent working on individual projects. A rehearsal at Dharmajan’s home gradually turned into something more structured.
Time away from the band appears to have reshaped how they operate together. Mani reflects on how distance has altered the internal dynamics of the group.
“We have grown fonder and more appreciative of each other,” he says. “At the heart of it there is only one method that works with teams. Prioritise the group goals first, group needs second and individual needs third. Any other priority chain will disrupt sustainable growth and achievement. Whether it’s music, sports, business or families.”
The band chose not to frame the moment as a reunion tied only to past work. Instead it became an opportunity to begin writing again.
Revisiting Maktub while writing forward
The renewed activity coincided with a fresh wave of listening around the band’s landmark album Maktub, which continues to circulate among younger audiences through streaming platforms.
Rather than staging a single commemorative show, Motherjane used the album as a starting point for a tour. The “Rewritten” tour placed material from Maktub alongside new songs still taking shape.
This approach allowed the band to refine arrangements in front of live audiences before committing them to record. The process effectively turned touring into a development space rather than a promotional exercise.
Building Dobareh
The next studio album, Dobareh, reflects the band’s current phase of writing. Nine tracks are in development, several of which have already appeared in live sets.
The first single, Do Good Don’t Be Nice, signals the thematic direction of the project. The track leans into the philosophical and ethical questions that have long shaped the band’s songwriting.
While the album revisits some familiar sonic ground, the band has allowed itself room to push further musically.
“We have always had an unwritten rule that the song is the hero,” Mani says. “Everyone in the band uses his instrument and creativity in celebrating that vision. In fact I think we have become a little more experimental in our style and inputs this time while maintaining the classic Motherjane ethno prog sound.”
Expanding the lineup
The current touring configuration includes bassist Alan Santosh and drummer Alloy Francis alongside the founding trio.
Their presence has broadened the band’s live dynamic, introducing new rhythmic and technical perspectives while maintaining the core identity that listeners associate with Motherjane.
With more than thirty original songs in the catalogue, the challenge now is not writing material but deciding what to perform.
“Our toughest challenge is that we now have 30 plus originals and only 50 minutes to play,” Mani says. “How does one select from so many songs one likes to play?”
Touring in a changed live economy
The live circuit Motherjane has returned to is markedly different from the one they left. Production expectations have risen and the economics of touring have become tighter for independent artists.
The band has responded by being selective about where it performs. Recent appearances include festivals such as Mahindra Independence Rock and Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, alongside club venues including Hard Rock Cafe, AntiSOCIAL and Fandom in Bengaluru.
Mani believes the sustainability of these shows ultimately depends on the audience experience.
“People are regularly buying festival tickets at ₹6000 to ₹20000,” he says. “The challenge lies in providing a gig experience that competes with or even eclipses what people are used to.”
He also acknowledges the role of audiences in sustaining the band’s return. “The ticket buying audience totally made the gigs sustainable. Seems like a good time to thank all of you and welcome more people to join Motherjane on this new phase of its journey.”
Originals remain the core
Despite the evolving festival ecosystem, one principle has remained unchanged since the band’s earliest days.
“We have always had just one major condition since 2002 as a band. We will play our originals,” Mani says.
In today’s festival environment that decision has become easier to maintain. Many events now prioritise original music rather than cover-driven performances.
For Motherjane, that alignment has allowed the band to continue operating on its own terms while adapting to a very different industry landscape.
A return that is still in motion
Motherjane’s current chapter does not attempt to reposition the band as a legacy act. Older material continues to anchor their sets, but the emphasis remains on writing, testing and revising new work in public.
The result is a return that feels less like a retrospective and more like a continuation of an interrupted process. With Dobareh on the horizon and new songs already circulating in live shows, the band’s next phase is unfolding in real time.
