What makes Echoes of Earth India’s greenest music festival?

Launched in 2016, Echoes of Earth is a multi-genre two-day event that brings together music, art, and important conservations. After a two-year-long break owing to the pandemic, the country’s ‘greenest’ music festival is back in action. 

“We were at the crux of the on-ground to digital transformation that occurred due to the pandemic…While we have achieved refreshing milestones through virtual events, we stand by the belief that Echoes of Earth is an experience where communities come together to be one with nature and that cannot translate into a virtual experience,” says Roshan Netalkar, Festival Director or Echoes of Earth. 

In a conversation with YS Life, Roshan talks about the origin and the thought behind the music festival, and what’s in store for this year. 

Edited excerpts below: 

YS Life (YSL): Back in 2016, why did it seem important to start a ‘green’ music festival? 

Roshan Netalkar (RN): Years before we began, India lacked music festivals curating sounds that were eclectic and refreshing. Our intent was to create a festival that stood out in terms of the messaging and the experience. 

In my 20 years of experience in the events space, I have observed how large format events consume a lot of resources and through EOE (Echoes of Earth), I wanted to rewrite the narrative of celebrating responsibly through the lens of conservation and sustenance of the planet. Six years ago, we set out with the vision of a sustainable festival, and during this duration, it grew and expanded into the realms of circular living, circular design, restoration, and more.

YSL: EOE has been known for its inventive stages and art installations. Walk us through the previous editions. 

RN: Every year, our festival addresses a certain theme surrounding impactful conversations about the planet. Since the very beginning, our vision was around celebrating the planet through newer and more exciting themes and formats. We collaborate with global organisations, such as UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) and WWF (World Wildlife Fund) each year to understand the current problems and build on them. After this, the creative process of execution starts. 

In the past four editions, we have covered themes such as ‘Bugs of the ecosystem’ (2017), ‘Wonders of the deep’ (2018), and the most recent, ‘Sanctuary’ in 2019, which delves into specific niches of our natural world such as marine life conservation, celebrating endangered species in our ecosystem, and more. 

We bring our theme to life each year by giving prominence to the animals and creatures that are relevant to it through upcycled art installations and stage designs. From our unmissable vulture techno stage the last edition to the Angler fish main stage in 2018, we let our art put forth our festival messaging. 

YSL: Give us a snippet of what the fifth edition of EOE is going to look like. 

RN: This year, we are bringing together stories of wildlife and nature conservation from the unexplored crevices of India’s diverse ecosystems through the theme ‘Circle of life’.  It hosts a range of positive human impact stories that are empowering and uplifting the planet’s endangered species and landscapes.  

You can expect the grandeur of this festival in the lap of nature on the outskirts of Bengaluru where larger-than-life art installations will speak for our theme complemented by a line-up that further enhances the experience. 

YSL: What steps are you taking to further decrease the carbon footprint from the last edition of EoE? 

RN: With every edition, we are also doubling up on our on-ground green initiatives by partnering with brands holding similar visions. This year the focus will be on a circular design by which we intend to reuse and recycle almost 80% of all our assets and materials from the past editions. We are doubling up on our solar output this year, so watch out for our solar-powered big tree stage and possibly a fully functional solar-powered bar.

Staying true to our past editions, some initiatives remain unchanged. We are on track to conduct our sapling drives for ticket purchases and in an exciting new collaboration, we are potentially adopting a barren land to grow our own forest in the coming year. 

YSL: What does this year’s lineup look like, and how did you shortlist the artists and bands? 

RN: I believe that our festival is like a good friend that introduces you to great music. Our festival has consistently brought forward a new genre of music to this subcontinent. We take responsibility for showing people new music. This thinking is the process for the line-up and the curation, and we intend to map the future of music and listening to artists and genres that we welcome onto our platform. 

This year’s lineup is a refreshing mix of sounds and artists that are veterans, and at the same time, emerging talents across the globe and locally. Converging on our stages this year, The Yussef Dayes Experience, Dauwd, and Henry Saiz & Band presents Moonshine Wolves, to riveting local acts leading the Indian music community such as Anyasa, Hanumankind, T.ill Apes, and more. 

Echos of Earth is scheduled for December 3 and 4, in Embassy Riding School, Bengaluru.