- The festival’s curtain raiser ceremony showcased the entire line-up for the event which includes Farhan Akhtar, Papon & Raghu Dixit along with various other artists
Udaipur : After the overwhelming response received by its previous editions, Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival, India’s biggest world music extravaganza, was launched the festival to the world on 9th December with a poster launch. The event kickstarted the festival and announced the line-up for the festival starting from 16th to 18th December. The sixth edition of the festival in association with Rajasthan Tourism and Hindustan Zinc will witness the presence of over 100 renowned musicians, which is conceptualized by Seher.
The underlying theme of Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival 2022 is “Preservation and propagation of the forgotten musical instruments and traditions of Rajasthan” where the festival will focus on showcasing Sarangi, to inspire younger generations to follow its legacy. Sarangi is a protected musical tradition by UNESCO.
Speaking on the occasion Arun Misra, CEO Hindustan Zinc, “This edition of the Udaipur Music Festival is special as we are coming back after the pandemic. It is the celebration of the resilience of the people in the country and what better way to do it than music. We are happy to continue our long-standing association with Rajasthan Tourism & Seher through this festival and we at Hindustan Zinc & Vedanta have always encouraged and supported arts & culture. Through this platform, our aim is to make Udaipur the musical capital of India and this is just another step towards the same.”
The first day of the festival will witness Sarangi performance along with several celebrated artists at Gandhi Ground. Taking the folk tradition further, renowned singers like Jasleen Aulakh, Parvaaz from India will perform in the genres of folk, sufi and rock & world music. Along with this the nigh will also witness the performance of Abakorao, a Latin folk and pop music band from Colombia, Chile, Panama, Paraguay. The day will end with a performance of Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Sultan & Sanju famed singer, Papon.
The second day will host artists like Nandini Shankar a well-known violinist form India, Bruno Loi and Jonathan Della Marianna, showcasing the Launeddas instrument from Italy at Manji Ka Ghat beating the chilly mornings of Udaipur. The afternoon stage at Fateh Sagar Pal will witness themusical tunesof Kamakshi Khanna from India and Katia Guerreiro, the eminent Fado singer from Portugalbeating to the tunes of lake Fateh Sagar. The evening stage will witness the performance of Sarangi, followed by Blessing Bled Chimanga & Dreams from Zimbabwe and SENZA from Portugal. The last performances of the day will include the very popular The Raghu Dixit Project who has lent his voice in movies like Gully Boy, Chef, Codes and Habla De Mi’ En Presente, a high energy band from Spain.
On the final day of the music festival will witness performances by Srijani Ghose from Australia at the morning stage. The afternoon stage at Fateh Sagar Pal will showcase different Indie-pop musicians like actor-singer-songwriter Anoushka Maskey, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya known Indie folk tunes and Aabha Hanjura. The evening stage will start with a hip hop & rap session by Naveen Koomar ft. Harjot Kaur and Vedang followed by India’s premier Solo Percussive Acoustic Guitarist Dhruv Visvanath and the Electric Percussions Orchestra from France. The highlight of the final day will be Albaluna from Portugal and the singer-actor-producer Farhan Akhtar known for his famous tunes of Tum Ho Toh, Pichle Saat Dinon Mein, Atrangi Yaari and many more.
Speaking of the event, Sanjeev Bhargava, Founder Director of Seher, said, “We are excited to be back with the 6th edition of Udaipur Music Festival. We look forward to hosting all the performing artists and giving a platform to fresh talent. We are proud to contribute towards the revival of forgotten musical instruments like Sarangi. We are sure this edition of the festival will be as enthralling and entertaining as the previous editions.”
As part of the Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival, Hindustan Zinc also introduced the Vedanta Talent Hunt – an endeavour to provide a platform to amateur young musicians and encourage them to take their art further.