As he prepared to get married in 2005, he got the idea of organizing a baraat, a traditional North Indian wedding procession to give a rollicking start to the celebration. Raised in Rochester, New York, Jain studied jazz drumming at Rutgers and played for a time with the popular Pakistani rock band Junoon, so creating the band was a bit of learning curve. He pulled together both amateur and professional musicians and took up the two-headed dhol drum, which is slung over the player’s shoulder.
The procession’s success led Jain to create The Red Baraat Marching Band, adding “red” because that is the color worn by brides at Indian weddings and symbolizes love and energy. The new band made its first appearance in Livingston at a friend’s wedding, and the word quickly spread in the Indian community, leading to similar gigs at weddings throughout the region.
Source: Red Baraat keeps its music celebratory even when delivering serious messages – NJArts.net