The crowd came alive as Indian vocalist and guitarist Tipriti Kharbangar sang her heart out with her powerful voice aided by her band Mama Tips and The Mama’s Bois. Interestingly, it was only the first performance of the night at the 12th edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival in February but with each passing song, the crowd was entranced by Kharbangar’s voice as she belted out some of her favourite songs and anthems for women that kept them on their feet through the entire set. It got even better because the Shillong-based band with the ‘bois’ was joined by women from all over India, as they showcased their talents in more ways than one to a packed arena.

Kharbangar and her band has had a busy year with performances all over the country and she was only returning to the blues festival at Mehboob Studios in Bandra but this time in an all-women lineup. She along with other renowned names like Dana Fuchs, Sheryl Youngblood, Vanessa Collier, and Samantha Fish set the stage on fire over two days of the festival as they celebrated the blues. They also made up for the loss of Grammy-nominated Beth Hart, who had announced a day before the festival, that she wouldn’t be able to perform due to mental health concerns.