Make Yourself Heard

It’s that time of the year when bands and musicians begin doing the rounds of music festivals. The season this year starts with the exciting
two-day long arts festival in the city called DIY Day.

To be held on November 1 and 2 at Akshara Theatre, DIY Day has been founded and curated by Ritwik De of Ghar ka Records and Madhav Mehta of theatre group Epic Shit Entertainment. “Our aim is to showcase independent artistes to a live audience and while this has been happening around us for a while, our USP is that the whole festival is fully crowd-funded,” says Mehta, 24. Apart from bands such as Five8, Begum, The Next Collective, Adi & Suhail and The Doppler Effect, there are short improvs and comedy sketches too that will be staged by groups such as The Tadpole Repertory and Mildly Offensive Content. Those looking to shop for some funky accessories would find pop ups such as Go Spliff quite appealing. “It’s all about supporting young entrepreneurs and creating a network for them,” adds Mehta.

Over the last few months, De and Mehta have managed to raise Rs 1 lakh through online crowdfunding and are hoping to raise some more at the festival. This is the second edition of DIY Day and the first was held in April this year, with the sole purpose of giving a stage to musicians to perform. Around 300 people attended the festival last time and more are expected this year. “I am a musician and over the years I have realised that at pubs, unless you’re playing something very upbeat, no one takes you seriously. DIY Day is a sit-down concert where one genuinely listens to music. For instance, Shadow & Light have a very ambient, mellow and intense sound and they’re perfect for this,” says 22-year-old De.

Both De and Mehta want to hold at least two DIY Day events a year and have already added a new dimension to the conversation on
independent art.

Tickets are priced at Rs 400 per day; Rs 750 for both days and are available at the venue and http://www.bookmyshow.com