Call of the Wild

The show is the brainchild of Ryan Thomas,Dhiren Talpade and Akul Tripathi — the three proprietors who came up with the concept,are friends from college. “We have been part of nature clubs since our college days. Our professor,Sudhakar Solomonraj,had interesting methods of making us observe nature — he would have us sitting on a hilltop in Ladakh and listen to Bob Dylan or Billy Joel. We adapted this idea to include an indie artiste,” says Tripathi. Apart from Tewari,his team has chosen 11 other artistes for the series,including lyricist Swanand Kirkire and indie artistes Nikhil D’Souza and Sidd Coutto.

Shot in picturesque locales in Maharashtra,such as Nilshi near Lonavala,a lakeside campsite near Igatpuri,Thanale near Pali and a beach in Bordi,the show is likely to strike a chord with both music and nature lovers. “There is no electronic tampering with music,no computers at work,just a thought in one’s head,conveyed through lyrics by the artiste who strums the guitar alongside,” Tripathi adds.

For the artistes too,the show has been a refreshing journey — creative for some,nostalgic for others. Coutto felt as if he was on a picnic with a bunch of friends,reliving old days. “I hope the group stays small,the moment there are too many people,the intimacy with the audience will be lost.” Tewari seconds Coutto who felt as if he was going back to college when he would nurture his music over such trips or play at friends’ houses. “For the shooting of this show too,I had no set playlist in my head and neither did I rehearse,” says Tewari,who came with an incomplete song in his song book and returned with the lyrics complete and under the title Wagairah Waigarah. “It wasn’t a performance,it was a mehfil,” he says.