Concert Paradiso

This one sincerely promises to take you higher – a festival with music at its core in the idyllic valley of Ladakh. The Ladakh Confluence to be held this month (28-31 August) celebrates music and Ladakhi culture with a host of performances and activities. The festival seeks to operate on various levels and explores myriad interests wherein anyone from an artist to a traveller, an environmentalist to an anthropologist could be found. Besides the series of concerts that are to take place, one would find various activities to indulge in, like Tanghka painting, Chang beer making, waste management, drum workshops, musician master classes and photography. But most importantly the idea is to not disturb the peace of the locals in any way. “I think Ladakhi locals are very sensitive, and while putting up such shows one needs to be very careful. The people are great and very warm but one must respect their sensibilities. Ours is a music and cultural festival, it’s not just another rock concert,” says producer-director Swaati Langeh.

The organisers are prepared for a turnout from anywhere between a thousand to three thousand people for this percussion-heavy concert that shall feature performances by artists like Talvin Singh, Bauchklang, Soulmate, and Shaa’ir + Func.  “Percussion is universal to all music, coming from different nationalities and cultures. As our festival seeks to promote intercultural interaction, it plays the binding factor in the world of music. We focussed on percussion in order to attract more nationalities,” explains Langeh. Besides the popular acts, the concert shall feature lesser-known Indian talents like Rajasthani folk outfit Rajasthan Roots and Gujarati jazz outfit Gateways. In Langeh’s opinion, the reggae/roots outfit Terra Kota from Portugal is an artist to watch out for amongst other international acts like Rodney Branigan and Davide Swarup. With the support of the Ladakhi Government and J&K Tourism, this first attempt might become a reference point for organisers seeking to create a musical haven in similar environments in the future.