Mahindra Roots Festival debuts with a bang, honours India’s diverse artistic traditions and fosters cultural continuity

by Shrutee K

3 DAYS | 20 ARTISTS | 3 ICONIC VENUES 

Raghu Dixit, Abhanga Repost, Arko Mukhaerjee, Tajdar Junaid and more took the stage at the debut edition of the sold-out modern folk festival in Mumbai 

India-wide release, 28th February 2023: The Mahindra Roots Festival (MRF) made a spectacular debut over the weekend, celebrating India's diverse and rich cultural heritage and legacy. Over three days, the festival brought to life a contemporary world of lost and dying traditional and folk art forms, spanning multiple genres, languages and dialects, cultures and subcultures. Held against the stunning backdrop of the sea, MRF mesmerized audiences with soul-stirring performances by renowned artists such as Raghu Dixit, Abhanga Repost, Arko Mukhaerjee, Tajdar Junaid, and more from February 24 to 26, 2023.

Mahindra Roots Festival’s core purpose was to highlight India's vast artistic traditions, from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Deccan, and from the western coastlines of the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. Through modern musical interpretations, reimaginations, and stories, the festival successfully brought audiences closer to their cultural heritage and roots.

Roysten Abel's 'Weaving Voices,' a magical convergence of theatre, music, and art, opened the festival on a balmy Friday evening on February 24 at the Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir. The multilayered tapestry, featuring a talented ensemble like Bombay Jayashri, Uday Bhawalkar, MD Pallavi, Aditya Shrinivasan, Apoorva Krishna, Rasika Shekar, Sumesh Narayan, and Sound Design by Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty, was a truly immersive experience.

The festival's second day saw Shabnam Virmani performing stirring renditions of Kabir's poetry with folk singer communities across the country. Abhanga Repost's interpretation of traditional Maharashtrian folk infused with rock music and Arko Mukhaerjee's fusion of modern and traditional music styles of Baul, Senegalese folk, and reggae enthralled the audience. Multi-instrumentalist Tajdar Junaid also infused myriad ethnic sounds and styles with his distinct contemporary sound, leaving the audience in awe.

Post this, Hashbass, one of India’s phenomenal bassists, took the stage at Lower Parel’s antiSOCIAL with Burrah for a power-packed sensational night. At the same time, bringing their remarkable Indian electronic harmony to the festival were Tech Panda and Kenzani who took the social media universe by storm with their peppy track Dilbar, who captured the unmistakable essence of India and set hearts racing with their performance.

On Day 3, The Aahvaan Project captivated the audience with folk music and stories steeped in the ideas of ‘nirgun or Sufi love’ in everyday life. Alongside an enchanting performance by Jasleen Aulakh and her band; Alif, aka Mohammed Muneem Nazir's Urdu and Kashmiri Shayari and music rendered the audience spellbound. The festival's musical maestro, Raghu Dixit, was joined by Shilpa Mudbi and folk virtuoso Raju Das Baul, making for an immersive, soulful folk spectacle in Hindi and Kannada.

The heritage and culture of Indian arts was also translated into the spectacular decor and larger-than-life art installations at the festival. For this, Mahindra Roots collaborated with the Aravani Art Project, a trans-women and cis-women-led art collective which seeks to build a collaborative space with people from the Transgender community by engaging them in public art and other artistic interventions. They created a large canvas that they painted on at the festival, which was a testament to the untapped talent and creativity of the Transgender community. Complementing this aural and visual treat were delectable local flavours of chaat at Pratapjee’s and Tibb’s Frankie for attendees to indulge in, alongside chilled refreshing slushies by Cool Story

Jay Shah, Vice President - Cultural Outreach at Mahindra Group, said, “At Mahindra, we hold in high regard the rich tapestry of cultural expressions that define India, and we have consistently strived to nurture and showcase them through our various initiatives. While the younger generations are well aware of the diversity and heritage that characterizes our country, they remain largely unaware of the many forgotten and overlooked performing arts, folktales, music, and poetry that embody this culture. Realizing the importance of celebrating this legacy, we launched Mahindra Roots, an inclusive platform that seeks to empower a wider audience and foster a lasting connection with their cultural roots. We are delighted that the inaugural edition of this meaningful celebration has resonated so profoundly with audiences, and we look forward to building on this success in the years to come.”

VG Jairam, Founder of Hyperlink Brand Solutions, added, “The Mahindra Roots Festival not only paid tribute to India’s rich arts and culture but also sought to nurture a lifelong community and a cultural movement around it by reintroducing audiences to their cultural heritage by making it accessible through various art forms. We are delighted to have been a part of its debut edition and eagerly look forward to many more successful future editions.”

As India becomes more integrated into the global economy, traditional art forms and cultural practices are at risk of being lost and forgotten. The Government of India's Ministry of Education has even classified 196 Indian languages as endangered. However, India's diverse languages, traditions, and practices are the soul of its cultural heritage, making it more important than ever to preserve it.

The Mahindra Roots Festival aims to keep this essence alive while giving it a contemporary spin, serving as a testament to the importance of preserving these traditions. It hopes to inspire the new-age audience to reconnect with their roots, ensuring that these cultural practices continue to flourish in the modern world.