Nov 13, 2017
Sufi, rock, retro or Punjabi? Take your pick as there’s a variety to choose at the upcoming edition of Hindustan Times Palate Fest 2017. Bollywood singer Raftaar is all set to make the food fest an unforgettable experience for food lovers, along with popular Indian bands Indian Ocean, Euphoria, Astitva, Rocknaama and Sankraman. Numbers such as Bandeh and Ma Rewa, among some new compositions, from the fusion rock band Indian Ocean will enthral the listeners. Himanshu Joshi, from Indian Ocean, says, “There is a constant movement in these festivals, and these one-to-one kind of performances are very intimate. We derive a lot of energy from the audience, as they are very near us. The performance goes a notch up when the audience enjoys. People come here to have a good time. And, we get an eclectic bunch of people that give us a new audience as well.” Prepping for his performance, Bollywood rapper, Raftaar says, “I am very excited [to perform], because I am a hardcore foodie. Ek kahawat hai, ki insaan ke dil ka raaste uske pet se jaat hai (There’s a saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach). With all the food people are going to get there, they will already be in a happy mood to listen to my songs, and that’s why food festivals are the best place to perform. People can eat as much as they want, and I’ll help them loose the calories.” To add a touch of Sufi and Rock to the Bollywood numbers, the band Rocknaama will perform a retro-medley including the songs Gulaabi Aankhein and Chura Liya Ya Hain. “We are very excited and looking forward to perform at Palate as it’s one of the best and biggest food festivals that has inspired many other food festivals in the city. Delhi has a fine taste in music, and hence our selection for our performance will encompass different medleys including Punjabi hits,” says Shaheen Salmani, vocalist, from the Sufi rock band, Rocknaama. “Delhi people love three things — food, music and Astitva. The people here, know how to groove and have fun. And they are quite receptive to our brand of multi-genre music. We are the Delhi boys and our love for the city is unconditional. We feel at home when it comes to performing at Palate, because we were the first artist to perform at Palate (when it started in 2014). So, it’s a special bond. When it’s Palate, it’s literally 10 times the energy and madness. We’ll be performing our new single, Yaad Mujhe, live for the first time for our home audience at Palate. C’mon you have to give your home city a special treatment,” says, Salman Khan, vocalist, Astitva. Palash Sen, lead vocalist of the band Euphoria, says, “This is the third time in a row that we are playing at Palate Fest. The kind of positivity that I witness at the venue is amazing. I can’t thank HT and the people of Delhi enough for calling us to entertain them.”