Diptanshu Roy, aka Dolinman, holds the distinction of being the first bluegrass mandolin player from India. He hails from Kolkata, India, and lives in a 300 year old ancestral home located in the Bengali region of Behala.
Dolinman’s music combines various European and Indian folk styles, which he plays on his primary instrument, mandolin. In addition, he collaborates with other regional folk artists as well. Surprisingly enough, his focus on Bengali folk music often finds an unlikely parallel between that particular tradition and those of Appalachia. To that end, Roy founded Folkpick, a vlog which archives Indian folk styles. He’s also cofounded several regional bands, including Fiddler’s Green, NSA, Bemanan, and Two Macha.
In addition to those efforts, he’s a versatile composer and producer. “I have worked with several popular artists in India as a session musician and on soundtracks for Indian films,” Dolinman notes. His ongoing project, Dolinman X, consists of a series of live recordings with a diverse group of other artists that have joined him for a common cause.
“It’s a flexible collaborative setup,” Dolinman suggests. “I work with musicians from different genres to curate new lineups for concerts every few months, and of course, my mandolin is the only constant in the setup. I also put out new music on YouTube every few weeks with different collaborators. I’ve released over 100 videos with different collaborations.”
Not surprisingly, his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, and, in fact, he’s been consistently recognized for his skills and savvy. He describes his music as being acoustically oriented and sung in Bengali, with the added influences of bluegrass, country, jazz, and his native folk traditions.
“I have a great fan following in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal for my mandolin playing, specifically for its unique blend of Indian folk music with bluegrass,” he maintains. “Plus, I am deeply influenced by the music of Bill Monroe, David Grisman, John Hartford, The Baul musicians of Bengal, Moheener Ghoraguli (the first modern Bengali band from the 1970s), and the traditional folk music of India.”
In addition, Dolinman has maintained a presence at several major music festivals both in India and outside his country as well. He cites the following — Mandopolis Festival, a solo concert in Puget-Théniers-France, Lohagarh Baul Fakir Utsav in Bengal, India, the Mandolin Symposium, a student concert in California with the David Grisman ensemble, the Mt. Shasta Fiddle Camp – Weed Concert, the Dhaka International Folk Festival in Bangladesh, the Kolkata Literary Meet, Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, India, The India Story in Kolkata, Nariyal Paani Festival in Alibaug, India, the North American Blueberry Council event in Santa Clara, California, the multi-genre NH7 festival in Shillong & Pune, Orange Festival of Music, in Arunachal Pradesh, Basar Festival ,and Ziro Festival of Music in Arunachal Pradesh, his three appearances at the Ranthambore Festival, Chitwan Jungle Cricket Fest in Nepal, Little Flea Festival in Delhi, Mumbai), the Nabanna Festival in Shantiniketan, and the Kolkata River Festival — as among the larger gatherings where he’s performed. Those are all in addition to the numerous smaller venues which have found him a featured performer.
“I have a repertoire which includes both original work and covers,” he continues. “My latest original work Kurchi Phuler Desh is available on streaming and on a seven inch vinyl record. I have also been working on more originals, and those will be released this year. In addition, I’m producing an album with the famous singer-songwriter and composer Subrata Ghosh.”
Asked to explain bluegrass music’s international popularity, Dolinman offers his own theory as to why. “Bluegrass music is gaining a niche for its unique rootsy sound that is raw, delicate, and powerful at the same time,” he suggests. “I have been incorporating bluegrass style mandolin playing in Bengali music, which also stands out and has gained popularity as ‘Bongrass.’ It’s a fresh new sound for the Indian audience and I am hopeful that Bongrass will take the shape of a new genre in popular culture. Bluegrass is particularly new in India, and I have introduced this style of mandolin playing in popular music here since 2007.”
