South Asia bands together at Old Fort

Fifteen bands from nine Asian countries are rocking Delhi this weekend. The highlight of the on-going South Asian Bands Festival at the Purana Qila on December 11 was the all-women band Afflatus from Shillong who opened the act.

Fifteen bands from nine Asian countries are rocking Delhi this weekend. The highlight of the on-going South Asian Bands Festival at the Purana Qila on December 11 was the all-women band Afflatus from Shillong who opened the act. Today, you can catch Fa’thu and The Early Birds — the bluesy-folk band from Maldives — who are heralding a new wave in Maldivian music. There’s also Paranoid Earthling, the Sri Lankan band whose compositions deal with conflict, religion, social hierarchies and censorship in Lanka.

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Tomorrow, Emperor, with their Myanmarese rendition of rock music, will open the act when Myanmar makes its debut in this annual South Asian music festival, which has been organised for the third time by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the ministry of external affairs.

“South Asia is gaining importance in terms of cultural diplomacy,” explains Virendra Gupta, director general of ICCR, when asked about the idea behind the event.

Don’t miss the Bollywood finale as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy close the act on Sunday. The best part? There are no tickets or passes to the event. So just saunter in.