Rumble In The Jungle

IT WASN’T WOODSTOCK, BUT IT SURE WAS MUSIC IN THE WOODS. AMIT DIXIT ATTENDS AN EDGY MUSIC FESTIVAL IN TIGER COUNTRY

- Amit Dixit

When it comes to aural pleasures, the setting can be crucial. At the Ranthambhore Music & Wildlife Festival 2019, it was positively magical. Held from December 27 to 29, the festival played out in the capacious confines of Nahargarh fort—barring the wildlife bit, of course. The main gigs were held around the resplendent Hathi Kund—the centerpiece of the property—with the audience floating to other locations for the DJ nights and cool after-parties under a star-studded sky. Supporting events, ranging from puppet theatre to stargazing, tattooing to wine tasting and documentary screenings too were held across the fort. There was an art auction. Ace photographer Aditya (‘Dicky’) Singh conducted a wildlife photography workshop. You could attend as much, or as little, of all this as you pleased. To make the most of it, staying at Nahargarh helped, but wasn’t mandatory. And, of course, there were jungle safaris. But the main act was indisputably the music.