Swarathma performs in the rain, powered by solar energy during Bengaluru leg of India tour

Swarathma performs in the rain, powered by solar energy v

This Saturday, even as fans eagerly waited for Swarathma to rock the stage, an unexpected guest made an appearance — rain. Yet, this did not dampen spirits, and the audience enthusiastically welcomed the rain along with the band’s powerful performance. 

The Bengaluru-based folk and rock band embarked on the Swarathma India Tour 2024 from Mumbai on May 25, after which they touched down on home turf. The tour, which celebrated their newest album, Raushan, was a pledge towards making greener entertainment the norm and was powered by solar energy. The initiative was conceived in collaboration with Sustain Plus Energy foundation and SELCO foundation.

Tulu singer-songwriter Praveen Alva of Alva Kuuto opened the concert. That the light drizzle, which commenced just then did not stop the audience from enjoying the blissful melodies of the Tulusongs, was an indicator of how the rest of the evening would pan out.

It made for a great introduction for Swarathma members — Vasu Dixit, Jishnu Dasgupta, Varun Murali, Sanjeev Nayak and Vinay Ramakrishnan, to take the stage. They charged up the audience with some of their greatest hits, from ‘Manwa’ to ‘Topiwalleh’. As they began ‘Ee Bhoomi,’ their ode to the earth, the rain truly made its presence felt, but that did not deter fans from grooving to their tracks.

Anagha Hari, a resident from Whitefield said, “I wondered if they would cancel the concert due to the rain, and had no hopes they would continue. But fortunately, that did not happen. It was a wonderful night with Swarathma and the rain.” 

Eventually, umbrellas opened up, and attendees began swaying in the rain as the band’s boisterous songs gave way to more gentle tunes. A string of their hit numbers with one of their latest unreleased Tamil tracks, pleased the crowd no end and for a few ardent fans the rain was no reason not to shake a leg. 

“I’ve been an avid fan of Swarathma for more than a decade now, and this concert was nothing short of breathtaking. Just singing in the rain with the band playing live was a great way to unwind,” said Raima R, another attendee.