The day started bright and sunny though I got up at noon. I found some photography advice in my early morning emails “ You need to frame each picture before you click it.” That kind of made sense and so I was determined to get my photography right today. I headed out in the dusty heat of the town’s by lanes and headed straight for the fair grounds. I passed a sugar cane juice shop and felt in urgent need of some sugar cane juice, to fuel me up. At Rs 20 a glass it was a steal and I then headed to the jalebi, samosa and kachori shops. I ate a bit and got myself photographed using the locals to assist me at that time.
Some distance away I noticed that he main stage was being set up for a concert. I looked round and realised it was being performed by the Midival Punditz (the musicians Gaurav & Tapan) and I had heard them before and I knew I liked what they did fusing the Indian with electronica. The band had begun in 1997 and the show today at Pushkar was going to be free and open to all, I knew my evening was sorted .
The band begun at 7:30 in the evening and the stage lit up with Red , Violet and Purple light’s with the Punditz performing in full flight. There was Flute, keyboards, guitar, percussion and two shiny Apple laptops to generate the rhythmic fusion sound which amplified the Rajasthani Folk lyric’s producing an intoxicating sound. It was a blend of the traditional and the enchanting all dancing in tandem.The flute play was specially very powerful. I managed to slip right in front of the stage , where people enjoyed the music sitting on cushion’s. I used both the lenses of my camera to try capture the moments on the stage.
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The Punditz are India’s most prolific Electronica act and have worked with the greats of our generation like Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Kailash Kher, Anushka Shankar and Ustad Sultan Khan. Their performance with the electronic keyboard was mind blowing. The lighting and background was gothic Rajisthan. The Mela was full of foreign travellers who were enjoying the show. There were thousand’s of local’s sitting, enjoying the folk and fusion sound . The evening wind was now blowing fast and the concert soon came to an end with a flurry of sound and light .
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There was ovation all around and the crowd started to disperse as the show had ended. Men in traditional Indian rural attire dhoti kurta and glorious head gear, the pagri and women with huge nose ring’s in colourful ghagra choli. Kid’s sitting on their fathers shoulder’s ,every one slowly trudging out of the Pushkar Fair Grounds. I halted for a while to see the Fire Lanter’s being light up and sent upward’s to the sky.
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I had been posting on my social media and a friend called up “ why didn’t you get an interview with the band?” he asked and I thought it was noble idea. I looked them up on Facebook for their page and gave a call to the number listed.It was late but I was told that the band would be leaving for Delhi but I could do a telephonic interview with them tomorrow. So fingers crossed I may just get an interview with this talented band.