Celebrating music in the woods

Meghana Sastry
The 2018 chapter of Malanad Calling was a rhythmic experience with a lot of nature vibes — a celebration of music that goes beyond the usual concerts. It was a treat for art and nature lovers, who made it to the fest despite rainy weather. This annual event is not just about musicians performing on stage, it’s about the entire art community coming together to create an experience that everyone will fondly remember and eagerly wait for the next one.
Among the genres explored at the fest were Hindustani Classical, fusion, Garage Rock, Ambient Rock, experimental music, Progressive Rock, Underground DnB and more.It was a celebration of a plethora of instruments too — from sitar, flute, tamboora, didgeridoo, handpan and mouth harps to guitars, drums and keyboards. The participating bands were from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa and Kerala. Flow Arts was another high point of the festival, with artists also conducting workshops. The venue was lush green, dotted with four lakes, as most evenings unfolded in jam sessions in the campsite. Although initially, the event was scheduled to take place in Sakleshpur, the venue was later shifted to Kuppe, near Hassan. Malanad Calling is the brainchild of Naveen Gokhale, who says this is a festival organised for artists by the artists in the region.
The bands that took part in the festival included Kalavara, OLAM, Dark Light, Mind Map, Naar, Mitochondria, Iyer’s Filter Coffee, Anireekshita, Mannequin disorder, Nirvana Dosa, Space is all we have, Lional and Gopu and DJ Sarcastic Kabab. The Flow Artists from Bengaluru were Smirti, Tushal, Patrick and Ashwin.