Arati Rao, Carlton Braganza, Shaina Jagtiani, Venkat Vardhan

From rock to pop and electronic, concerts have been a significant part of the vibrant music culture in India since the past few decades. Any music lover can relate to the pure euphoria of being a part of the crowd at a concert, singing along with strangers while listening to the sound of the guitars.

MAP’s exhibition Rock City recalls an era of rock and pop concerts in the early 2000s, of crowds waiting for their favourite rock bands to perform in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, organised by the event management company DNA Entertainment Networks.

In this panel session, Venkat Vardhan, Arati Rao, and Carlton Braganza speak to Shaina Jagtiani about the music and concert scenes in these cities, shared stories of epoch-making concerts, innovation in venue management, and inevitably the influence the pandemic has had on the live music scene in the India.

This session was curated in conjunction with our online exhibition, Rock City.