Come September, Sound of Music at ‘Ground Ziro’

Top rock bands from across the country to participate in four-day extravaganza in Arunachal

By PULLOCK DUTTA

A band performs at last year’s Ziro Festival of Music.

Jorhat, May 26 : Top rock bands from across the country would descend at “Ground Ziro” in September to participate in the four-day Ziro Festival of Music at the picturesque Ziro valley in Arunachal Pradesh — the land of the dawn-lit mountains.

Dubbed the country’s biggest outdoor music festival, it will host hundreds of musicians, artistes, travellers and creative people from across the country and some from abroad as well.

The third edition of the festival will begin on September 25.

Randeep Singh, a member of the organising committee, told The Telegraph that the festival would probably be the most fun-filled outdoor music event in the country to be held in an open arena surrounded by lush greenery and hills.

“We are also making arrangements for camping facilities for visitors,” Randeep said.

He said the organisers were in touch with a few internationally famous rock bands and at least one could be expected to take part in the festival this year. “If Shillong can host the Scorpions, why can't we?” Randeep asked. He, however, refused to name the bands the organisers were in touch with as “nothing has been finalised as of now”.

The last two editions of the festival had featured stellar acts from around the world, including Lee Ranaldo & Steve Shelley (SONIC YOUTH -USA), Northeast’s own Bob Dylan, Lou Majaw, from Shillong, Menwhopause, Shaa’ir n Func, Whirling Kalapas, Sky Rabbit, Peter Cat Recording Co and Guru Rewben Mashangva among others.

He said the music festival is organised with the aim of providing a platform to the musicians from the region to mingle with those from other parts of the country. “Music makes us one — is the theme of the festival,” he said.

The festival, he said, would give an opportunity to the musicians to exchange ideas and work together for peace.

Randeep said the bands would play primarily rock music, which is very popular in this part of the world. “There would be folk music by local musicians of the region also,” he said.

He said the festival would begin in the afternoon and would continue till late night each day and the first day would be free entry for all. “There will be tickets for the three other days of the festival,” he said.

He said the Arunachal Pradesh government has been providing logistical support to host the festival.

“We are also getting tremendous support from the local people,” he said.

Randeep said though hotels were available in Ziro valley, local residents would also make arrangements for home stays.

Ziro valley, primarily the home of the Apatanis, is the district headquarters of Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh and is located about 167km from Itanagar. It is one of the oldest towns in the state and is a valley at a height of over 5,500 feet above sea level, surrounded by misty mountains. Keeping company are Indian bisons, locally known as mithuns, which are common in the area.