A musical melange at Ranthambore

The Ranthambore Festival, to be held during the Republic Day weekend, promises to be a great getaway for Delhi’s art lovers

This January a confluence of Indian and international music, art and wildlife conservation gets its address amidst the verdant foliage of Rajasthan at the Ranthambore Festival. The three-day cultural festival has an impressive line-up of artistes such as singer-actor Zila Khan, dancer Mallika Sarabhai, folk band Maati Baani, pianist Karl Lutchmayer, saxophonist Fabrizio Cassol and at least 35 local artistes.

Talking about the theme of the festival, which aims to unify world music, creative director of the festival and daughter of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, Zila Khan says, “The theme of the festival is conservation of traditional music and wildlife. With music concerts and panel talks, we want to address the grassroot problems of these areas. Therefore, the name of this festival is Pukar.”

The fest not only intends to celebrate music of all genres but also offers dance performances, panel discussions on nature and music conservation, a wildlife film festival, music workshops, yoga and wellness workshops, a food festival and heritage walks for enthusiasts who plan to spend their long Republic Day weekend at Ranthambore. Referring to the uniqueness of the festival, Khan adds, “When we showcase traditional music, we will also bring in lots of different elements to it so that today’s youth can connect to it.”

World music band, Maati Baani, will perform at the festival. Kartik Shah from the band shares, “We’ve always wanted to collaborate with amazing musicians. Also, performing for such a noble cause brings us immense joy because our music will contribute to the greater good of preserving our mother nature.”