Echoes of Earth, describing itself as ‘India’s greenest music festival,’ wrapped up its debut Goa edition this month. See our coverage of its earlier Bangalore edition here.
With a celebration of regional biodiversity through art installations, the festival blended music performances, local cuisine, flea markets, and workshops for children. The uniquely-crafted stages were outstanding, particularly ‘The Kraken’ (Giant Pacific Octopus), ‘The Big Beak’ (Great Indian Hornbill), and ‘The Ghost’ (Horned Ghost Crab).
“Sustainable narratives towards keeping Echoes of Earth green go beyond just production and all the activations we do. We also care for the land we host the festival on,” Echoes of Earth director and founder Roshan Netalkar tells World Music Central.
The Goa edition of the festival featured 40 acts from India and overseas, and attracted 10,000 visitors over three days.
“Over the years, for every ticket sold, Echoes of Earth has planted a tree. We designed the festival in such a way that we worked around the flora and fauna in the selected space,” Netalkar adds.
In addition to the art installations showcased in this article, we also share insights from artists of the Batavia Collective (Indonesia) and Boombay Djembe Folas (Mumbai).
Anchored by Anand Bhagat on balafon, Boombay Djembe Folas performs West African percussion along with drums and guitars. The band has also performed at the Swadeshi Mela, a three-day creative celebration near Mumbai in February.
The band lineup includes Prathamesh Kandalkar on jembe. “I have had the honor of playing earlier before Trilok Gurtu,” he proudly says, referring to the ace Indian percussionist who is now based in Germany.
“A challenge our musicians face is that we are involved in many projects to make a living,” Bhagat explains. Some of the group’s collaborations feature Randolph Correia, lead guitarist of Indian rock/electronica band Pentagram, and one half of the electronic musical duo Shaair + Func.
One of the spectacular performances by an international band featured Indonesia’s Batavia Collective. The trio played a high-energy blend of jazz, electronica, and funk.
The group was formed by Elfa Zulham on drums, Kenny Gabriel on synth bass, and Doni Joesran on keys. They originally met to play covers, but discovered success with live performances of their jams.
“In the end, the purpose is mainly to have fun,” the band jokes. They have toured across the Asia-Pacific and are coming up with an album next, they tell World Music Central.
Over a span of eight years, the six festival editions in Bangalore have hosted more than 400 international and Indian music artists across genres.
Each festival also showcases unique art installations by artists such as Akshay Manjrekar (Tailless Whip Scorpion, Malabar Tree Nymph butterfly) and AltNative (Indian Gaur).
According to the Goa festival’s sustainability report, 2,309 kgs of waste were sent to the Saligao Waste Treatment Plant. “Zero kilos of waste were diverted towards landfills,” Netalkar adds.
There are plans to make the festival an annual affair in Goa’s event calendar due to its musical, educational, and environmental focus, sums up Suneel Anchipaka, Director of Tourism, Goa.
(All photographs were taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at the festival.)
Author: Madanmohan Rao
Madanmohan Rao is an author and media consultant from Bangalore, and global correspondent for world music and jazz for World Music Central and Jazzuality. He has written over 15 books on media, management and culture, and is research director for YourStory Media. Madan was formerly World Music Editor at Rave magazine and RJ at WorldSpace, and can be followed on Twitter at @MadanRao.