Folk music artist Swapan Basu admits that it was his mother who inspired him to make a career in music. However, he wasn’t drawn towards the mainstream music of his times. Rather the folk music of rural India with its underlying innocence attracted him. Swapan Basu started visiting rural places frequently. The recognition from people further strengthened his bond with Bengali folk songs. He says that ‘mela’ or festival is integral to rural culture and is the actual source of all folk music.