Day light is turning into twilight through the two-storey-high window panes at the Institute for Contemporary Arts, or ICA, in Boston.

Inside the ICA theatre, four men in wheelchairs, one on crutches, and their young rhythm section are running through a tune.

This is Staff Benda Bilili, a band from the Democratic Republic of Congo. We featured them on the program about three years ago when they first caught the world’s attention.

Let me remind you of their remarkable story.

The elder core members of the band had been homeless in the Congolese capital Kinshasa for many years.

Their encampment was just outside the city zoo. Also noteworthy is that they had been stricken with polio in their youth.
So they rolled around Kinshasa in a variety of wheelchairs, some motorized, some pedaled by hand.

Then in 2009, fame knocked on their doors.

A documentary and a studio album thrust them into the international spotlight.

Staff Benda Bilili is touring the US for the first time, starting in Boston. The band has toured many other parts of the world already, so American audiences are in for a treat.

I saw them in 2009 in Copenhagen. At the time I wondered whether a grueling tour schedule for these older men with polio would get tiring. But bandleader Ricky Likabu says that after three years, it is no problem.

Band members of 'Staff Benda Bilili.' (Photo: staffbendabilili.com)

“My eyes see. My body, you can see that I’m still working,” he says. “And my head, it still thinks. And that’s why, I can do anything anyone else in the world can do. Personally, I don’t see my handicap. I only see my brain.”

Ten years ago, the group took on a homeless kid who used to hang out with them: Roger Landu, now 24, is an indispensable member of the band.

“He was playing a homemade stringed instrument called the satongay in the street,” Likabu says. “But I thought, let me put him in the band. That’ll be a good thing.”

The band sets up spontaneously in the green room at the ICA and plays this song called Djambula. They sing about religion and money, how people from snake-oil evangelists to Muslim extremists get their money.

In Congo’s Lingala language, Staff Benda Bilili means “look beyond appearances.” And that is the fascinating thing about this band. You notice their wheelchairs at first. But once the music starts, none of that matters. And that is magical, to watch four men, polio victims, lose their disability, even metaphorically, in front of your eyes.

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The cover comes on the heels of Khan’s recently-concluded, but immensely popular show “Satyamev Jayate.” The show, part commentary, part talk-show was hosted by Khan himself (his first foray into television) and focused on social issues such as dowry, female feticide, child abuse and medical malpractices.

The show, which reportedly reached a worldwide audience of 1.2 billion through various media, became an instant hit among all classes of the Indian society and had far reaching consequences: Several state governments and the central government set up fast-track courts and passed laws to address the issues raised on the show, the most significant being the strict measures promised by governments against doctors practicing female feticide.

But the show’s biggest win came in the discussion it generated among the citizens of India. The show, which was broadcasted in different languages across the country, was able to break regional barriers and unite people in their demand for action.

But the show isn’t Khan’s first foray into social activism. Considered a thinking man’s actor by critics and fans alike, his films in the past decade have carried a distinct social message. Whether it is the social revolutionary-themed “Rang de Basanti” prompting the youth of the country to serve the nation, or the sensitive story of a dyslexic child in “Taare Zameen Par,” or the commentary on Indian education system in the brilliant “3 Idiots,” Khan has consciously tried to do his bit of spreading awareness about issues.

And not just films, but outside too, he has been open about his views. He was one of the most prominent star supporters of the Anne Hazare anti-corruption movement that swept the country last year and even visited Hazare during one of his hunger strikes. And a few years ago, he came out to speak in favor of the “Narmada Bachao Andolan,” a social movement protesting against the construction of a dam on the Narmada river.

But like in every case, there are skeptics who say that Khan’s moves are precisely calculated and are nothing more than PR exercises, considering the amount of media attention his every move garners. And then there are those who believe that since he demands so much media attention and is so genuinely concerned about the state of the nation, he should consider entering politics.

But Khan remains unfazed by the naysayers and has refused to consider a political move. In a recent interview, he said he would like to continue with his role as an onscreen hero and carry the subtle messages of change through his films.

So, can an actor change a nation? Only time will tell. But he can definitely act as a catalyst of change and Khan sure is doing that.

This spring, Christine Leakey, another solo artist from Canada, was looking to create a video to compliment an east-west fusion concept piece from her newly released album and found the match in a multimedia studio in India.

Smith and Leakey are not alone. They are part of a burgeoning new crop of clients for the Indian outsourcing industry – only this time for creative work.

Smith was looking for online resources for his video when he connected with Asha Sarella, a Bangalore-based virtual assistant who also runs a dance school. After an initial exchange of ideas, Smith outsourced the creation of the video for his single “Smoke and Mirrors.” Sarella put a team together to work on the concept, choreography, filming and editing and delivered the project in three weeks.

With more than 200,000 views on YouTube (significantly greater than the 7,000 views for his other video “Love Teeth“) in less than three months and positive reviews from the audience, Smith got exactly what he wanted: a novel concept for his audience and attention in the music industry. For Smith, the arts outsourcing experiment paid off.

“Asha and her team completely surpassed my expectations,” he said. “I was thrilled at the end product.”

India is no stranger to outsourcing. In the past decade, it has established itself as a leading outsourcing hub with almost all major Western corporations opening back offices in Indian cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Most of the work outsourced to the country has, however, been technical, but artists like Smith and Leakey are now pushing the envelope by outsourcing arts, media and other creative work.

But much like the big corporations, the idea behind creative outsourcing is the same – a cost-effective solution.

At $2,000, Smith’s outsourced video cost him a fraction of the at least $40,0000 that would have taken to make a “real industry standard” video.

Despite the lowering of costs in video production as a result of inexpensive digital filmmaking technology, in current economic times, it is difficult for small artists to fund the production of a music video. With grant money and other funding drying up and labels shying away, most independent artists in the West find the production of professional music videos an unviable option.

Leakey, whose outsourced video is expected to be released by the end of April, said being able to afford the sort of video she hoped for, is definitely good.

She said the current economy and high living costs put a stress on artistic budgets. While she believes in a balance to support local services, she said outsourcing was the answer for this project.

“If this was a $10,000 thing, I would have not been able to do it,” she said.

The Cultural Factor

But Smith and Leakey both admit that cost is not the only determinant. Treating the audience to a novel idea and opening them to a new culture also played a role in their decision.

Smith, whose video (see below) features a kaleidoscopic blend of scenes from Indian culture and Bollywood-style dancing, said that though cost was important, he chose India because he wanted his video to have a Bollywood flavor.

“I am sure that businesses have always looked at India in that way,” he said. “For me it was simply about tapping into India’s culture.”

Leakey agreed. She said she was primarily drawn to India for cultural reasons and the affordable outsourcing costs sealed the deal for her.

“It is about balancing cost with a different perspective,” said Vishwas Avathi, a Bangalore-based filmmaker who worked with Sarella on filming and editing Smith’s video.

Avathi said he feels cost-effectiveness is just a part of the outsourcing process. He said the audience loves new flavors and Indian culture offers Western artists an opportunity to explore that.

“What people are talking about is how different the video [“Smoke and Mirrors”] is and the culture it shows.”

India is a land of myriad traditions and cultures with rich diversity and Sarella said she feels that it is the colorful and vibrant heritage of the country that makes it a potent arts outsourcing hub.

“India is truly on the edge of becoming a potential arts outsourcing hub,” she said. “This is mainly due to rich and diverse tradition that is yet to be captured for an international platform.”

But India is not the only culture that Western artists can explore. There are several other countries such as the Philippines and China that can offer cultural and creative options at reduced costs to small and upcoming artists.

Avathi said that while every country has its own distinct culture, India’s reputation as an outsourcing destination acts as an added advantage. He said India is the first name that comes to people’s mind when they think of outsourcing, giving it an edge over other countries.

And that advantage already seems to be kicking in. The successful response to Smith’s video has made other low-budget artists from Germany, Italy, US and other Western nations inquire at arts studios in India such as Avathi’s “Fstopro and Sarella’s “I Can Dance 2.”

Avathi, who is currently working with six different artists from the USA, UK and Canada said while most of his clients are independent, low-profile artists, he thinks that once the arts outsourcing phenomenon grows bigger and becomes more visible, bigger artists will most likely follow.