Ten years ago, open-air music festivals featuring independent artistes were little more than a novelty in India. Culturally and conceptually, they were still very young, hip and fresh. And back then, we knew far less about the effect of these festivals on the environment. A 2015 study of the industry in the UK, titled The Show Must Go On, notes how festivals were generating 23,500 tonnes of waste annually, over two-thirds of which would end up in landfills. The carbon emission, excluding travel, was close to 20,000 tonnes. Yet, this consequence was barely a concern for Indian festival promoters.
SHRUTI SUNDERRAMAN, festival-goer
The Bengaluru-based conservation journalist — who has worked as a music writer as well — didn’t have much access to indie music while growing up in Mumbai. But hanging out at the erstwhile Blue Frog in the early 2010s sparked an interest in live shows. In the years since, Shruti Sunderraman attended many major Indian festivals — multiple editions of NH7 Weekender, Mahindra Blues Festival (MBF), VH1 Supersonic and Backdoors – and travelled abroad to watch acts like Radiohead, Aphex Twin and The National. “I felt that by consuming music in this way, I could develop a personal relationship with it. It didn’t matter how it was recorded, reviewed, or perceived. I got to experience it on my own.” Over time, that relationship has deepened and evolved, and Sunderraman feels a sense of community at gigs.
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