India, Sept. 12 -- A Bhojpuri folk song with a Japanese shamisen is drawing attention on Instagram. Champawa Ki Kaliyan, the latest release from Maati Baani featuring Ghazipur folk artist Jeewan Ram and Japanese shamisen player Sayo Komada, has picked up rapidly on social media in recent weeks. According to vocalist Nirali Kartik, the song crossed 25,000 shares on Instagram in 24 hours, without a marketing budget.

But the song's appeal goes beyond its unusual sound. For Maati Baani founders Kartik Shah and Nirali Kartik, the response has also opened up a conversation around how Bhojpuri music is perceived.

"If you read the comments from the post, a lot of comments are mentioning that this should be a benchmark for Bhojpuri music because...