What’s new in 2012: Music

The sounds of nature don't just include croaking frogs and chirping birds. On a chilly December morning, you would have also heard indie musician Ankur Tewari at a campsite near Igatpuri.

What's new in 2012: Music

Previous u00a0 u00a0 u00a0 u00a0Next

It started in 2011

The sounds of nature don't just include croaking frogs and chirping birds. On a chilly December morning, you would have also heard indie musician Ankur Tewari at a campsite near Igatpuri. Jumpstart, a six month-old group that organises outdoor sports, recently began incorporating musicians in their entourage for their camping trips with The Great Gig In The Sky, that covers travel, food, stay and activities like rock climbing or rappelling at a cost of Rs 2,500.u00a0

"We prefer to have local musicians, who accompany us on a voluntary basis. It isn't a commercial platform, so there aren't stages or sound equipment. It's a campsite and after the performance we have campers sing too," says Akul Tripathi, co-founder of Jumpstart.

On the January 14, they plan to organise a camp with Swanand Kirkire at Pali in Raigad district.u00a0For Woods Talk Festival organisers, u00a0green is the new "cool" and they are taking it a step further by setting the festival 45 km ahead of Rishikesh in the woods of Mahadev Chatti, along the Ganges. Vivek Binepal, director of Soul Curators that organised the music at the event held in November 2011, set up the stage amidst nature and advised revellers to keep the zone plastic-free.u00a0

"We don't put up posters telling people to live green, but we incorporate the message through action," says the 32 year old. The next event will take place in February at Gulmarg in Kashmir. The week-long event will include a skiing tournament, snowboarding exhibition, local artisans and DJs keeping travellers entertained. "We're planning to get state tourism and transport boards on board to sponsor the event," explains Binepal. u00a02012 will also begin with the country's first Storm music festival at Coorg on January 20 and 21.

Big hit in 2012: Outdoor Music Festivals

We are a young country. People have hectic work schedules, they have disposable income and they want to get out of the city for a short trip. They are tired of local pubs and hangouts and there isn't any government agency that caters to organising camps. We are able to include a host of activities in a weekend trip not too far away from the city where you can visit a place, try out some sports and have a sing-along around a campfire. People have realised that it's an untapped market and there will be others who wish to make money from it.

ufffd Akul Tripathi, co-founder, Jumpstart Pic courtesy/ Akul Tripathi

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels