A legacy of passion

The core team of Mood Indigo 2011, the year when the festival made it to the Limca Book of Records

The year was 1992. The entire country was on edge following the demolition of the Babri Masjid. In one room of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), a heated debate was underway. The subject: whether or not to hold the Mood Indigo festival that year.

"The event was deferred to January, but communal riots erupted throughout Mumbai the same month. It was shifted to March, but two weeks before the scheduled date, the serial blasts happened. There was so much pressure to cancel. Many artistes withdrew their agreement to perform and yet others were unable to confirm their presence. But we persisted. The Director of IIT-B and the then Dean of Student Affairs helped and supported us. Two weeks after the blasts, Mood-I was held as a tribute to the spirit of Mumbai city and as a symbol of religious tolerance. We registered a footfall of between 2,000 and 3,000, which at the time was a significant number," recalls Anand Sivakumaran, an author, screenwriter, and director who graduated from IIT-B with a degree in chemical engineering. Sivakumaran was the General Secretary (Cultural) and led the core organizing committee for Mood-I during the academic year 1992-1993.

The 1976 core committee of the Mood Indigo festival, which included Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani. Pics Courtesy/IIT-B

Now an iconic event in itself, Mood-I was started by a group of enthusiastic IIT-B students in 1971. The IIT-B Gymkhana and the advertising department together contributed R5,000 towards the budget at the time. Its legacy of organisers includes distinguished alumnus like Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani.

From a modest, intra-hostel event with a budget of Rs 5,000, Mood I saw its budget go up to Rs 24 lakh by 1997 and hit Rs 1 crore in 2007. The footfall, too, has increased from four figures in the beginning to approximately 1.5 lakh people attending the last edition of the festival, held in December last year. Mood I also made it to the Limca Book of Records in 2011. Ketav Mehta, who was the core group member leading media, marketing, and public relations in 2011, recalls his tenure as one of the highlights of his time at IIT-B.

"Professionally, it was a great responsibility and a wonderful learning experience, as our media budget had almost reached half a million dollars across more than 20 partnerships and over 100 media articles; and social media was then the new kid on the block. But what really stands out is the energy, passion, and, of course, the painstaking efforts and hard work that went into creating the festival," says Mehta, who is currently based in Los Angeles and leads investing and business building for a West Coast-based climate-tech accelerator.

Ketav Mehta and Palash Kulkarni

Over the years, Mood Indigo, named after one of the late American jazz pianist Duke Ellington's musical compositions, has developed into a venue promoting cross-cultural dialogue. Raw, unknown talent as well as professional performers are showcased in the variety of events that Mood I presents year after year. In addition, it has evolved into a celebrity-studded event, with renowned bands and several legendary artistes appearing and performing at Mood I each year.

Another IIT-B alumnus and former core group member of Mood Indigo 2012, Palash Kulkarni, said experience as a core group member is valued by many management companies. Kulkarni, a Mumbai based producer and a former management consultant says, "We were just a bunch of 19 to 20-year-olds but we managed everything, from budget, to marketing to handling media and publicity. It seems surreal now, when I look back, that we pulled it off without any professional event management company."

Srijan Mahajan, the drummer for the renowned Indian rock band Parikrama, recalls the camaraderie at the event. "One time, UK-based band Porcupine Tree was to play at Mood Indigo. We were to open the concert. Incidentally, the rest room in their green room was out of order and they had to use ours. Not only did they not mind, they hung out in our green room for a long time. When you see how passionate and committed the core group is, you don't mind a lot of things," Mahajan says.