A musical melange at Ranthambore

The Ranthambore Festival to be held during the Republic Day weekend promises to be a great gateway for Delhi’s art aficionados. From music concerts to heritage walks and seminars on the environment, there’s a lot in store in the three-day event.

A confluence of Indian and International music, art and wild life conservation get its address amidst the verdant foliage of Rajasthan at the Ranthambore Festival, this January. The three-day cultural festival, to be held at Nahargarh Palace, has an impressive lineup of artists such as Zila Khan, Mallika Sarabhai, Maati Baani, Karl Lutchmayer, Fabrizio Cassol and over 35 local artists.

Artists who will perform at the three-day festival.

Talking about the theme of the festival, which aims to unify world music at large, creative director of the festival and daughter of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, Zila Khan says, “The theme of the festival is conservation of traditional music and wildlife. With music concerts and panel talks, we want to attend to the grassroot problems of these areas. Therefore, the name of this festival is Pukar.”

The fest not only intends to celebrate music of all genres but also offers dance performances, panel discussions on nature and music conservation, a wildlife film festival, music workshops, yoga and wellness workshops, a food festival and heritage walks to the enthusiasts who plan to spend their long Republic Day weekend at Ranthambore. The amphitheatre, which will be inaugurated at the festival, will provide a platform to 35 indigenous folk artists. Referring to the uniqueness and the individuality of the festival, Khan adds, “I have taken care to bring about a character to the festival. When we showcase traditional music, we also bring in lots of different elements to it so that today’s masses and the youth can connect to it. Otherwise we could have done something on classical music or only on EDM. But, this festival uses both the elements for people to hear the newness of today’s music, which includes folk, western classical etc. It is the music world coming together. And not just fusion music, there are full-fledged concerts that brings different cultures together. ”