Aligning with Goa’s environmentally conscious ethos and backed by the Goa Tourism Board, ‘Ensemble of the Wild: An Evening of Art, Culture, Music and Meaningful Conversations Around Conservation’ will be held on January 5, at the Panjim Gymkhana, Sunset Lawns. The event will highlight the ecological importance of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO-recognised biodiversity hotspot and deliver an amalgam of art, culture, music, and conservation with sustainability at its core. Echoes of Earth will debut in Goa in 2024, shining a spotlight on the endangered Western Ghats and conservation of local biodiversity of Goa. Apart from showcasing art and music, the event will include panel discussions featuring stalwarts in the field of conservation in Goa.
“Art, culture, music, and conservation hold immense potential as positive platforms for uniting people. Echoes of Earth aims to draw attention to ecological hotspots such as the Western Ghats, focusing on both music and active engagement with local communities. The festival has been organized in collaboration with the Goa Tourism Board as a joint initiative towards environmental awareness, fostering responsible tourism and resource conservation,” said Roshan Netalkar, Echoes of Earth founder and Festival director.
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The first panel discussion is ‘Ecotourism: A Guardrail towards Protecting Goa’s Biodiversity – in association with the Goa State Biodiversity Board’ featuring Nirmal Kulkarni, Rajendra Kerkar and Prof MK Janarthanam. The discussion that will be held from 5.45 pm to 6.45 pm, will be moderated by Pradip V Sarmokadam, Member Secretary, Goa State Biodiversity Board. Nirmal Kulkarni is a herpetologist, wildlife photographer and artist, Rajendra Kerkar is the State Convenor, Goa River Conservation Network and coordinator of Goa Foundation while Prof M K Janarthanam is the Head of Botany Department, Goa University.
“The Western Ghats influence every sphere of life in Goa. Right from the monsoonal pattern, flow of drinking water and the associated biodiversity it all starts from the Western Ghats. There is also a cultural influence of the Western Ghats in daily life in Goa,” says Prof M K Janarthanam.
The second panel discussion at 7 pm will be on the topic ’Tales from the Wild: Exploring Goa – A Western Ghats Wonderland – in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India)’ featuring Dr Nandini Velho and Benhail Antao, will be moderated by Aditya Kakodkar, Senior Coordinator, Marine Conservation. Dr Nandini Velho is the Project Lead, Canopy Collective & ORA India Fellow and Benhail Antao is a wildlife rescuer and Nat Geo show presenter for ‘Snakes SoS’.
Performances by an eclectic mix of talented musicians will take place from 8 pm onwards. Pink Moss will perform live at 8 pm. The event will also host curated photo exhibits, upcycled art installations and a reading cove put together by the World Wildlife Fund-India and Goa State Biodiversity Board.
Additionally, the Festival will collaborate with the Goa State Biodiversity Board, WWF-INDIA and Felis Films to celebrate and assist the efforts of local stakeholders in preserving the delicate biodiversity of the Western Ghats.
Echoes of Earth has scheduled a three-day festival for February in Chopdem, nestled in the coastal reaches of the Western Ghats, to celebrate the richness of the biodiversity hotspot on a larger scale.
