Around Christmas time last year, I was introduced to the rock-n-roll group, KiM, from Odesa, Ukraine. I have been enthralled by their music ever since. I love their album Доля (pr. ‘Dolya’) which can mean ‘fate’. Alternatively, I came across a sentence online that implied that Доля can also mean “the personification of good fortune.” Доля is also a poem by Taras Shevchenko.
My favorite songs on the album are Але ти не тут, Один (it has an amazing interlude), Чарівна дівчина, Люди, Доля … Actually, why am I listing? I love every song. Every. Single. Song. My filmmaker friend Sanjay loved the album too and said, “It’s interesting how a piece of art from a country suddenly opens a new window into a culture. Especially during times that are trying and when they are experiencing war.”
Another album of KiM’s I am exploring is небо синєє . Both albums are on Spotify and YouTube along with a few singles.
KiM is short for Кирило i Мефодій, (pr. ‘Kirillo and Mefodiy’) named after — I think — Cyril and Methodius*, who, as Apostles to the Slavs, are considered Slavic heroes, recognized for spreading Christianity using people’s language rather than Latin or Greek. They are credited with inventing the Cyrillic alphabet (via its precursor, the Glagolitic alphabet) used in Slavic languages even today. Cyril’s name at birth was Constantine, which also happens to be the name of the talented guitarist and lyricist of KiM, Kostiantyn.
While surfing the internet to find more about KiM and the origins of the group’s name, I learnt that there existed, for a very short time, in 19th century Kyiv, a liberal society with noble goals — the Brotherhoods of Saint Cyril and Methodius. “The society’s goals included the abolition of serfdom, broad access to public education, transformation of the Russian Empire into a federation of Slavic peoples with the Russians being one among equals rather than the dominant nation, … the implementation of the liberal democratic principles of freedom of speech, thought and religion.” 1
You may, dear reader, think I digressed from music to interpreting-between-the-lines of a group’s name on a whim and without a reason. But there is one. I am trying to discover, decipher and understand all the multi-layered meanings to the lyrics and the references in the songs by KiM. I was told that there is a lot of symbolism and spirituality in Kostiantyn’s songs. But his intention is not to mire people in hidden references, but rather to evoke feelings and work with our perceptions of art as calming, peaceful and in harmony with the world around us. Another way of saying this is to express the universality of art, beauty, peace.
Take for instance KiM’s song, “Janmashtami”. “Janma” is birth in Sanskrit and “ashtami” refers to the birth on the eighth day of the dark month on which Krishna, beloved by Hindus, is believed to be born. So Janmashtami is popularly described as “the Hindu festival celebrating the birth (janma) of Lord Krishna on the eighth (ashtami) day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada (August–September).” (Source: Britannica.com) However, in Hinduism, Lord Krishna is a symbol of Ananda (bliss, pure happiness). Happiness is universally expressed via celebration. So Janmashtami can also be the celebration of the birth of bliss and the guitar interludes to KiM’s Janmashtami (as well as to other songs) keep me uplifted even when I am going about my day while tired on my feet.
While interpreting KiM’s music and lyrics, I am once again reminded of how much better it would have been if I was more fluent in Ukrainian and didn’t have to use Russian as my intermediary language. As I have lamented before, everything I learned about Ukrainian language or culture, I have had to use the Russian lens as Russian was the language that was taught to me when I was young and living in Ukraine. Like Reilly Costigan-Humes and Issac Stackhouse Wheeler, who once explained their journey and process to translate Ukrainian although they originally studied Russian, I too am now attempting to go directly to the source. Nothing helps with language-learning as much as songs and music playing in your head all day long! So much for Russian language imperialism.
On Facebook you can find the group KiM here. They also have an Instagram page.
Here is lyricist and guitarist Kostiantyn.
Bonus read here in an article in the NYT titled’ Ukraine’s Struggle for Self-Government’, published on February 17, 1918.
1918!
Let us let that sink in.
Very nice write up. Inspiring!