Remembered Rhyth-ms?, a festival of diaspora and the music of India, was organised by the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology of the American Institute of Indian Studies at the G.D. Birla Sabhagar on February 7. Rivers of Babylon, a London-based ensemble specialising in the music of the Baghdadi Jewish community in India, presented an hour-long performance, highlighting the cultural dialogue that began centuries ago when the first group of Jewish settlers set foot on the Malabar coast.

An illustrative talk by Sara Manasseh touched upon the Bene-Israel and Baghdad traditions of music which found patronage in Calcutta and Mumbai. As they flourished, they assimilated cultural ethos dating back to the 1930s. The next performance encapsulated the Jewish life-cycle from the birth of a child to the wedding, besides hymns sung during the Sabbath. One particular hymn dedicated to Prophet Elijah and composed in Marathi had its tune lifted from the title song of Dil Ek Mandir which was, set to tune by Shankar-Jaikishen.

Spurred by the ensemble, an enthusiastic listener participated in the call-??-response numbers and yelled ululations: ?kilililili?. Do the Bengalis owe their wedding ulu to these ?kililililis?? Surely worth a probe.