BANGALORE: Stories of sustainability, revelry and festive fervour came alive last weekend as India’s greenest music festival made its grand return to its home turf in Bengaluru.
Echoes of Earth, in its fifth edition this year, paid a tribute to the ‘Circle of Life’ as it celebrated the melange of nature, culture and great live music in the midst of sprawling 180-acred lush green vistas of the Embassy Riding School on the 3rd and 4th of December 2022.
With over 20,000 people in attendance across two days, the music and lifestyle event was a celebration of India’s ecosystems and stories of conservation and restoration.
The event is crafted to bring diverse, especially the new age audiences, under an umbrella theme to celebrate the Earth through music and art. This year’s theme, ‘Circle of Life,’ moved on us towards an inclusive circle where all life begins and thrives alongside wildlife and nature conservation and regeneration stories from unexplored corners of India’s diverse ecosystems.
It witnessed an eclectic mix of over 40 local and international artists converge on 4 up-cycled stages — the Johnnie Walker non-alcoholic refreshing mixer Amur Falcon stage, The Himalayan Ibex stage, The Budweiser Indian Red Scorpion stage and the solar-powered Big Tree stage.
Bringing unique global sounds to the fore, the festival was a melting pot of music genres like Electronic, Soul, World fusion, Jazz, Techno, Blues, Reggae, Rock, Live Electronica and more. As audience swooned over enthralling performances by Hanumankind, The Lojal Experience, Anyasa, Vairaagi,Tara Lily, The Yussef Dayes Experiences, Henry Saiz & Band presents Moonlight Wolves, Vieux Farka Toure, T.ill Apes, and others, the festival gave greater momentum to the idea of living life eco-consciously.
Roshan Netalkar, Festival Director at Echoes of Earth says, “We are ecstatic about the response to Echoes of Earth 2022. Our eclectic line-up of musicians from different genres created a seamless musical journey and appealed to a very diverse audience in terms of age, culture and nationality.
In these two days, we have witnessed the incredible energy and passion of over 20,000 people who celebrated responsibly – keeping the ethos of the festival alive – In spite of the large turnout we were able to create a zero-waste festival.”
“Echoes of Earth theme for 2022 was Circle of Life – we collaborated with over 40 artists to create 24 installations on site. The artist line up represented the best of international and Indian musicians all this has culminated in a fantastic response both at the festival and on social media platforms — the love for brand Echoes grows stronger each year. It is our endeavour to innovate further and to make the festival carbon neutral in the years to come,” he adds.
With sustainability at its core, Echoes of Earth was a two day home to over 20 homegrown, sustainable labels promoting slow living across fashion, decor, accessories and more at its solar-powered flea market. It also hosted 30+ food stalls and first of its kind experiential spaces on the greener side, with pop-up restaurants from across the city for attendees to grab a bite of wide-ranging homegrown delectable.
They could also indulge in some tipple at the solar-powered bar by Budweiser that set new benchmarks of sustainability.
The festival’s theme served as the foundation for each art display, with the mission of giving artists and environmentally conscious communities a forum to discuss diverse ecological concepts and ideas in order to increase public awareness of the need to live more sustainably.
Further creating a path for a greener and cleaner world, Echoes of Earth ensured waste was recycled and reused tactfully yet aesthetically. And consequently, 20 spectacular displays of larger than life installations, furnishings and decor set-up were built using 100% up-cycled materials from past editions as well as discarded IKEA furniture and products.
Echoes of Earth extended its inclusive circle to all, including pets and kids. A dedicated kids-zone offered a string of interactive workshops like face-painting, dapo learning, tiara-making and asalato making as well as interesting activities such as a photo exhibit and nature trails.
Over the past 6 years, Echoes of Earth has endeavoured to be a platform where artists highlight eco-conscious philosophies while promoting an alternate, sustainable way of life to the attendees.
This year’s edition, bound by the passion for a clean and green future, was a revelry of the Earth in all its forms, reinforcing the philosophy of ‘not just surviving, but thriving’, through diverse music and distinct art in the lap of nature.
(ANI/PRNewswire)