2nd Guwahati International MUsic Festival November 22, 2012

Come November and the northeastern region of India will rock and roll once again with the most awaited music fiesta - the 2nd Guwahati International Music Festival (GIMF), which will be held from November 23 to November 25 at Shilpagram in Guwahati. Organized by the Eastern Beats Music Society in collaboration with NEZCC, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the three-day music festival will feature over twenty top musical artistes from across five different nations.

Talking about this year’s festival, EBMS secretary and creative director Aiyushman Dutta said, “One of our chief objectives is to introduce hitherto lesser known genres and musicians to our people to appreciate. Artists from five international artists will be arriving in the city to engage in dialogue through music and which will finally culminate with live performances.”

The Artists and Events

The diversity in music is mind-blowing – from folk to rock, ghazal to jazz, GIMF has it all. While Ghazal maestro Harish Khan from Afghanistan will perform on the inaugural day, a slew of workshops and performances have been lined up across the three days. Ralf Kamphuis from Germany, musical prodigies Rishii Chowdhury and Samyami Chowdhury from UK, virtuoso mandolin player Snehasish Mozumder from Kolkata are among the few visiting musicians. Besides, Mac Haque, a pioneer of progressive Bangladeshi music, who owes his roots to Jorhat district of Assam, will also participate in this event. The event will also witness the riveting performance of the great percussionist Bickram Ghosh who won the 2012 GIMA (Global Indian Music Awards) in the Pop/Rock Single category for his composition, Vande Mataram.

Besides the performances of the celebrated artists, there will be a number of other interesting activities buzzing in the venues of the festival. A major attraction of the inaugural ceremony will be a Symphony of 100 sitars, to be presented under the direction of veteran Sitarist and respected Assamese musician Hem Hazarika. Similarly, on the second day, there will be a lecture-demonstration on folk and cultural music, by folk and classical musicians during the morning, and performances by a number of musical prodigies in the evening. On the third day, Rock Rules- a contest of national Rock bands will be held during the morning followed by its finals in the evening and an array of performances by a number of guest bands.

Besides a lot of folk musicians from different parts of the Northeast, a number of rock acts have also been lined up. The festival seeks to provide a platform for all the rock bands of Assam during the day time. “We would like to ask all rock and metal bands of Guwahati and Assam to come and register with us. We have arranged a day-long concert on the first two days for the bands to perform and interact with the visiting musicians,” says Dutta.

Theme – Healing wounds through Music

Given the present socio-political turmoil in the State of Assam, the GIMF comes at the right time as the theme for this year’s edition is peace. The event will look to provide positive vibes for the region which has been getting a bad press in the recent past due to conflicts and bandhs. As Eastern Beats Music Society’s motto goes, ‘Healing through music’ will be the aim of the event. Besides showcasing international artists, the event will give a grand platform for the local bands to perform at a mega-event. It will aim to wean away the youth from the negative influence of violence, insurgency, and apathy and to promote a culture of peace and positivism in the region through the power of music.

Dutta says, “Eastern Beats Music Society has been striving to harness the healing power of the arts right since its inception. In our festival last year, Mayukh Hazarika and Laili Hazarika had offered their special tributes to late Bhupen Hazarika during the festival. This year we felt that at this stage of time, Assam needs peace among people of all the different communities here. We sincerely believe that music can once again help in bringing back peace and stability in Assam.”

Saluting Excellence

Like last year, the society will hand over the Eastern Beats Excellence in Music Award to three pioneering musicians of the Northeast for their lifetime contribution in the field of music and preservation of culture. Tangkhul folk musicologist Guru Rewben Mashangva was the first recipient of the award last year.

Taking Northeast to the world

Commenting on the preparations for the biggest music festival of the region, founder secretary, Eastern Beats Music Society and GIMF, Aiyushman Dutta said, “The interest for GIMF has been building up since last year’s successful hosting. We have tied up with a number of international platforms like 9XO to promote the music industry of Assam and the Northeast through this festival. Our digital partner IndiEarth has already launched an international music contest one month prior to the event and the winning band will perform at the festival venue.”

The Concept

The first edition of GIMF was held last year. Basically conceptualised to fill the need for a premier music festival in the region, the mega confluence of musicians and artists from around the world last year had been able to showcase the best of regional, national and international talents to the people of the region. Besides serving as a platform for regional musicians to share stage with top artists, GIMF also helps in initiating cross-cultural dialogue among people and artistes of the region with those from others parts of the country and the world. A total of 35 artists spanning different genres – folk, classical, rock and western – had participated in the festival last year, which was supported by North Eastern Council (NEC) and ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs.

Life’s Purple Communications is handling the public relations for the event and has been actively promoting the festival through various social media handles for a massive success. The Facebook page has already attracted over 500 music lovers and has hit the right tones before the mega-event keeps pace.