All-night festival & concert

All-night festival & concert
Decccan Herald

An all-night experience, Bhoomi Jathre was not just a musical event but a show that focussed on the environmental awareness.

Bhoomi Jathre was not just an event, it was an experience for all of us who had the luck to go for it. The setting was amazing but to start from the beginning, the ride to the venue, either by bus, car or bike is on one endless stretch of road, snaking its way into the rural area of Kaggalipura was where it all began. Even the kacha road to the resort Fireflies or as the locals call it, Minchala was bearable.

Mind boggling music

The music was mind boggling and the variety and range enough to satiate any music lover. The Mysore Nagaraj and Dr Mysore Manjunath duo on the violin played Carnatic classical compositions to perfection. There were no abrupt endings to any line; the last notes lingered in the air for the audience to savour before disappearing altogether.

Konarak Reddy was accompanied by Roberto Narain, Prashanth David and Muthu Kumar in his performance. The repertoire between Reddy and Narain seemed made for the evening, each complementing the other's music. Narain's drum-set itself was striking and when the man played his ending solo, not a word was said. The entire audience watched in silence as the master's hands flew over the instrument, creating and experimenting with rhythms. When he stopped, it took almost five seconds for the awestruck audience to realise it. Then they broke into thundering applause.

Shiri Dance Company enacted a dance drama about the importance of trees in our lives, accompanied by appropriate music and engaging histrionics. Local bands Myndsnare and Yell-O performed in the genre of heavy metal.

Although Myndsnare seemed seasoned in belting out death metal tracks by Slayer and the like, Yell-O won the crowd with numbers from The Doors and Deep Purple

Unforgettable night

It was a night to remember and an experience one can never forget. Sitting cuddled up in a blanket, sipping tea and eating chilli bajjis, and sharing every awe-inspiring piece of music with your companions, leaves an indelible impression on you. The flea market, the Hasire Usiru stall and the handicrafts stalls were expensive but did quite well with the crowd. There were even little saplings that the audience could take home. However, one wonders how an event that roots for the cause of the environment year after year can serve so much non-vegetarian food like momos,chicken kababs, chicken frankies and so on.

In all, Bhoomi Jathre was not just a calendar event, but an adventure that left everyone feeling exhausted, yet happy at a night well spent.