NH 7 Weekender Music Festival

"What are you doing this weekend? Wanna go to a music festival?"

You don't have to ask me twice!

My colleague said he really wanted to go as one of his former students from Delhi was going to playing with his band, but didn't know how he could get there. And since I had a car and love road trips, it seemed like the perfect plan. 

The NH 7 Weekender music festival takes place each year in Pune. (NH 7, we discovered, is the name of the section of national highway where the festival takes place)

Pune is a short 2 hour drive from Mumbai with a lively music scene and is known for being a more relaxed, cooler version of Mumbai.  The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, for the most part, is a six to eight lane highway that's mostly wide open, but congested as you begin climbing the Western Ghats. 

Leaving early Saturday morning, we arrived in Pune long before the festival started at 4pm, so we drove around the city, explored a bit, and found the entire place quite lovely. Wide, well-maintained streets; sidewalks actually used by people; gardens and trees everywhere; roundabouts at intersections to keep traffic moving;  and the people we met were generally polite and quite friendly. Compared to Mumbai - this was paradise!

 The festival itself was held at a large 'lawn' just outside the city, but near a new, planned development from which many people seemed to be walking. There were four stages, stands selling concert gear and artsy things, a large selection of food stalls, and a fun photo opp and activities area for kids and adults alike. It was billed as a 'family event', and some people did bring their kids, but most of the audience were college age or older 'cool' types who just enjoyed the music and the scene. 

By eight o'clock however, it was easy to tell who the 'concert rookies' were as they'd obviously misjudged their alcohol tolerance and were either puking in a corner, passed out in the bushes, or being dragged out of a walk way by their friends. Concerts and 'party culture' as we know it in the West, are quite new in India, and for the most part, the average person has a difficult time walking that fine line between 'partying' and making a hot mess fool of oneself. 

The music was enjoyable, nothing like the first two Lalapalooza's, obviously, but we had a good time. My colleague's former student, however, was hands down the best performance there. His name is Neeraj Arya and his band is called Neeraj Arya's Kabir Cafe.  Kabir is an ancient India poet and saint who was more of a mystic than followed any specific religion.  Neeraj has taken his poems and set them to music in a folk fusion that quite catchy. 

But more than anything - it's Neeraj's voice that makes his band so great. He has a voice that deep and soulful, enchanting even. He sings in Hindi, so I had no idea what he was saying, but there were moments when he'd hold a note and it would take your breath away - literally. On more than one occasion, his voice alone brought me to tears. 

I tried to film it, but of course, had my finger over the mic of my iPhone, and got nothing. This is the best video I could find on YouTube, but he is definitely one of the best performers I've ever seen. Remember his name.