

Detangle with Chinmayi and Joell
A poem can be a mirror, a protest, and a lifeline all at once and when you put it inside a modern song, it can reach people who never planned to open a book. I’m joined by Chinmayi Tripathi and Joell Mukherjee, the co-founders behind Kavyaraag to talk about why they’ve chosen to become caretakers of India’s literary heritage while composing for today’s ears. If you’ve ever felt like mainstream music has lost its metaphors, this conversation brings the imagery back. We dig into what poets like Kabir, Mira, Mahadevi Varma, and others understood about the human mind: emotions evolve slowly, even when society changes fast. Chinmayi and Joell share how they keep classic text rooted in its essence while still making the sound modern enough for younger audiences to connect and sing along. We also talk about the real-world consequences of interpretation, including the backlash that can happen when listeners take poetic critique literally, and what it means to create art in a polarized time. The most personal turn comes when Joell opens up about living with clinical depression, how therapy helped, and why one particular poem still feels like a guide for traveling lighter. From there, we explore live concerts where a room’s energy suddenly shifts, why audiences sometimes forget to respect performers, and how bringing poetry into schools could create more playful, creative adults. If you enjoy conversations about poetry, contemporary Indian music, mental health, mindfulness, and meaning-making, you’ll want to hear this one through. Subscribe to Detangle, share this episode with a friend who needs beauty in their feed, and leave a review with the poem or lyric that changed you. Follow on Instagram @detangle_by_kinjal
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