Ziro Festival of Music 2014

Ziro Festival of Music is an outdoor music festival held in the Ziro valley in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It showcases the independent music scene in India. The festival was founded in 2012 by Bobby Hano and Menwhopause guitarist Anup Kutty, and has featured artists like Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley, Damo Suzuki, Shye Ben Tzur, MONO, Divine, Louw Majaw, Shaa'ir n Func, Indus Creed, Peter Cat Recording Co, Menwhopause, Guru Rewben Mashangva, and Barmer Boys among others. The festival is spread over four days and is hosted by members of the Apatani people in Ziro.

India – The third edition of Ziro Festival of Music (ZFM) is set to commence this September with off-the-block offering for all music-lovers. ZFM aims to raise awareness of northeast India and bring it into the mainstream consciousness of the country through music, art and culture. It is hosted by the Apatani tribe people at Ziro, a beautiful, serene valley in central Arunachal Pradesh and supported by the local and state government. Anup Kutty, Co-Founder – ZFM says, “After the success of the previous two editions, we have decided to let the fun and music spill over to an extra day. This year will also see a lot more folk artists from across India making it an unique convergence of cultures”.

The festival has received support from the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and its Tourism Ministry is proud to host and be associated with ZFM every year. Pema Khandu, Minister for Tourism, and Art & Culture is “very pleased with the overwhelmingly stunning response that the festival has garnered not only from within the country but across the world after only two years”. Being a big fan of music he quotes Plato, “Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything”.

A local Apatani man in the traditional dress © Shiv Ahuja

The second edition in September 2013 saw world famous American artists like Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley of the erstwhile Sonic Youth, some of the biggest independent acts in the country like Uday Benegal’s Whirling Kalapas and popular rock, folk acts from the northeast region. This is the only festival in the world that brings together such myriad cultures from across the world. This year Living Dreams, an Arunachal-based trust that documents and promotes local culture, and Pepsi MTV Indies, the world’s largest indie platform have come onboard to support the festival.

This festival is as much about the local experience as the music. It calls out to compassionate music-lovers and tourists to spend four blissful days living with the Apatanis and soaking in the sounds and stories around them. It is a chance for the northeast and the rest of the India to understand, experience and enjoy its diversity and rich ethnic culture.