MUSIC FOR THE EARTH

Ziro Festival of Music held in Arunachal Pradesh is lauded as much for its eclectic lineup as it is for preserving local culture and the environment. On its ninth edition, KALPANA SUNDER walks the festival grounds to review the sustainability initiatives.

- KALPANA SUNDER

AS THE SUN GOES DOWN the horizon and casts purple shadows on the sprawling paddy fields, the bamboo lights of the stalls glitter like fireflies, and music reverberates all across the ground. People of all ages lounge on the grassy slopes, some hold bamboo mugs of the local brew apong, others sway to music and feast on plates of tribal fare.

I am at the ninth edition of the Ziro Festival of Music, considered one of the most eco-conscious music festivals in the country. The festival is being held after a hiatus of two years, and the excitement is palpable. It features independent musicians and bands from different genres-classical and rock to folk music. The setting of the festival is unique in itself-against the backdrop of burnished golden paddy fields. Around the grounds are the rolling hills of Eastern Himalayas, bamboo groves, pine forests, and small villages that are home to the Apatani tribe, one of the last pagan societies in the world. The Apatanis have always existed in harmony with their unique environment, cultivating rice in the valley and worshipping nature.

The festival starts with the traditional welcome called Daminda performed by 400 Apatani women in traditional clothes. I see the emphasis on local food and drinks with stalls selling everything from locally brewed millet beer called apong in bamboo mugs to grilled pork, rice cooked in bamboo stems, local salads like singju, and home brewed wines and beers. There is an emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendly practices, and single use plastic is discouraged. The music is eclectic-from Japanese high energy rock band Pinky Doodle Poodle to Manipur's diva Mangka who both sings and plays the pena, to the French group Yelli Yelli, and the emotionally charged music of Rehmat e Nusrat, a band of musicians from Uttarakhand who reinvent the qawwali.