The debut edition of Echoes of Earth's 3-city tour celebrated local ecosystems and its conservation via music, art, conversations and collaborations

Conservation stories and lore from the unexplored ecosystems of Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi were brought to life last weekend by India's greenest music festival, Echoes of Earth, in its 3-city concert India tour. The festival took over the metro cities along with the British nu jazz collective, The Cinematic Orchestra, to celebrate local ecosystems and their conservation via vehicles of music, in each city across a span of three days - 14th, 15th and 16th April 2023.

Extending the theme 'Circle of Life', the tour offered a glimpse of the unparalleled Echoes experience in each city while highlighting their unique ecosystems and the importance in living in symbiosis with the natural world through engaging storytelling sessions, informative panel discussions, photo exhibits, sustainable installations, artistic workshops and curated food and flea markets for attendees to indulge in. By collaborating with its conservation and knowledge partner WWF India, as well as content partners such as Roundglass Sustain and Mongabay India, along with the Ministry of Mumbai's Magic, Echoes of Earth was able to enhance the overall experience by incorporating insightful and credible information.

The tour started on 14th April in Bangalore's iconic Jayamahal Palace, where Bangaloreans (re)discovered the Keres (lakes) and Kuntes (ponds) their city is home to, in a new light via an engaging discussion with prominent experts like Dr Subramanya (Ornithologist & Scientist), Usha Rajagopalan (Writer & Lake Conservationist), Sandesh Khadur (National Geographic fellow and wildlife filmmaker) and more. The discussion also stressed the need to conserve urban lakes and their rich biodiversity. Furthermore, Vikram Sridhar (Performance Storyteller & Theatre Practitioner) highlighted the vital role of diverse art forms like channapatna, kinhal, and kalamkari in conservation and preservation. At the same time, he drew the attendees into the conservation lores from rescue and rehabilitation incidents through an immersive storytelling session.

Moreover, the endeavour to bring Bangaloreans closer to the ecosystem they are an intrinsic part of also translated into a larger-than-life sustainable stage, which focused on the nearly-threatened bird species, the Oriental Darter (Anhinga Melanogaster). And culminating the evening on this stage was a mesmerising musical performance by The Cinematic Orchestra. Opening for the collective were Nush Lewis and Premik, who captivated the attendees with their soulful tunes and powerful electronic beats.

Taking the tour to Mehboob Studios in Mumbai on 15th April, Echoes celebrated the city's magical coastlines that house the rich mangrove ecosystem and its inhabitants via a discussion in association with WWF India with speakers like Malhar Kalambe (Environmentalist & Founder of Beach Please) and Dr Sheetal Pachpande (Deputy Director - Projects of Mangrove Foundation), amongst others. Meanwhile, Freishia B (Co-founder of Carter Cleanup), Ganesh Nakhawa (Director at Karanja Fishing Co-operative Society), Prachi Shevgaonkar (Climate Entrepreneur and the founder of Cool The Globe App), and more engaged Mumbaikars in an immersive workshop about the city's rich biodiversity and how they can contribute in its preservation in association with Ministry of Mumbai's Magic. Likewise, the Mumbai stage was sustainably designed to bring attention to the migratory bird Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) and was christened 'Flamingo' in the same light. Opening on this stage were Sijya, who moved the audiences with her untamed synth layers and Sahil Vasudevan, who moved the audience with his unique blend of modern piano and electronica sounds. And the Cinematic Orchestra brought the evening to a close with their truly enthralling performance.

The last stop of the tour was Delhi's 1AQ on 16th April. Here, speakers like Rohan Chakravorty (Cartoonist, Illustrator & Creator of Green Humour), Chetan Agarwal (Conservationist and Environment Analyst) and Neha Sinha (Conservation Biologist, Author & Newspaper Columnist) spotlighted the capital city's beautiful and thriving urban jungle ecosystem as well as emphasised the need to protect its diverse bird species in an engaging discussion. At the same time, Niharika Rajput (Wildlife Artist & National Geographic Explorer) conducted a workshop on 'Art for Conservation', where attendees hand-crafted house sparrows while learning their significance in the ecosystem.

And highlighting the city's native Sarus Cranes (Antigone antigone), the tallest flying bird in the world, was the sustainable stage where the Cinematic Orchestra concluded their tour with a captivating musical performance and a surprising collaboration with Khalid Ahamed (Lead singer of Pavraaz) with Sahil Vasudevan and Sijya opening for them.

Roshan Netalkar, Festival Director of Echoes of Earth , mentioned, ''A host of ecosystems and wealth of biodiversity have made their homes in urban cities. And touring across Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, we intended to support our audiences to re-connect and explore these local ecosystems that they are an integral part of but know very little about via an unforgettable Echoes experience.'' He further added , ''At the same time, we strived to nurture a community of more evolved and conscious audiences to promote greener and cleaner art experiences to look forward to. We did this by harnessing the power of contemporary off-centre music and art to express ideas of sustainable change for generations to follow. The three days witnessed an incredible passion of over 6000 people who kept the ethos of Echoes alive, standing testament to the fact that the future of art and music in India is green.'' Besides this, 3-city concert tour was an unforgettable culinary journey, thanks to its collaboration with a handpicked list of food and beverage partners, including Brick Oven, Phobidden Fruit, Boss Burger, Mossant Craft Konnection, Blue Tokai, Good Flippin' Burgers, True Falafel, Crusty Culture, Thai Mama, and T.OO.K, amongst others. At the same time, the flea market at the concert tour was a haven for shoppers. Attendees indulged in sustainable and ethically crafted fashion from Re Charka, a brand specialising in upcycled handwoven Kabir clothing. Besides this, Echoes and WWF merchandise products also offered unique and meaningful fashion choices. And adding a touch of artistic flair to the event was the renowned Lotus Child, curating instant personalised poetry for poetry connoisseurs, making it a truly immersive experience for the attendees.

This tour came after the successful fifth edition of Echoes of Earth on its home turf Bangalore last year. More than a music festival, its unique format provided a much-needed platform to showcase the efforts of local eco-warriors protecting and preserving local ecosystems in these cities and educate the audience about the same through interesting knowledge transfer activities. The festival has always been a much-needed step towards starting an inclusive sustainability dialogue with a call for responsible celebration through the lens of conservation and sustainability across the country starting off with these 3 metro cities.

About Echoes of Earth Taglined ''India's greenest music festival'', Echoes of Earth is a multi-genre two-day event that celebrates the environment. Launched in 2016, it features stages and installations made from recycled and upcycled materials. No plastic or flex materials are used and a sapling is planted for every ticket sold.

Around 150 artists have performed across the festival's four editions so far. The headliners have included international and Indian electronic acts such as Arjun Vagale, FKJ, Kohra and Mathame. Among the activities and attractions are the solar-powered Big Tree stage, a flea market selling organic and sustainable products, and music and wellness workshops.

Over the years, Echoes of Earth has won several live event industry awards including the 2019 EEMAX Global Award for Best Stage and Environmental Design and the 2020 WOW Asia Award for Festival of the Year – Art/Culture/Lifestyle. The festival, which was on hiatus in 2020 and 2021 owing to the pandemic, will return in December. The line-up will feature over 40 artists.

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