Family-friendly and substance-free. Three outings in Mumbai, 2016 – 2017. The next chapter is not yet announced.
The festival
Totem Pole was designed as a youth and teen music festival, and held first in January 2016.
What Totem Pole does
Six countries, one stage. Artists from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan were brought to Mumbai to write and perform together, in association with Kulturtanken, Norway.
Outcome — the sessions were filmed for a documentary
Short talks in the manner of TED, given by twenty speakers from NGOs and the social sector, so that a music festival for teenagers also put ideas in front of them.
Outcome — twenty speakers, including Triratna Prerana Mandal
School bands compete for a slot on the main stage in front of a public audience, alongside the headline acts.
Outcome — 2017 winners The Poptastic Rockers played the festival stage and recorded an album under Ashish Manchanda’s mentorship
A conference on the changing landscape of the music and entertainment industry, held at The St. Regis, Mumbai on 11 and 12 October 2017, immediately before the festival.
Speakers — Charity Lomax, DJ Swivel, Josh Gudwin, Allen Johnston
The record
Regional reach
SAARC artiste showcase in association with Kulturtanken, Norway
Chauraha is a musical showcase which brings together different cultures and roots across the SAARC countries. Totem Pole, in association with Kulturtanken, curated the SAARC Artiste Showcase for its 2017 edition: artists from across the region collaborated in Mumbai and created songs together, each bringing their own traditional and cultural strand to the writing.
Kulturtanken is the Norwegian Ministry of Culture’s agency for arts and culture for school pupils, created in 2016 through the merger of Concerts Norway and the Secretariat of the Cultural Schoolbag.
A documentary was made of the whole process — the writing, the making of the songs, and the performances at Totem Pole in October 2017. As a festival made especially for young people, Totem Pole offered the SAARC showcase a stage in India in front of young people and their families.
On stage and off it
Won the school band competition in October 2017, played the festival stage, and went on to record an album produced under Ashish Manchanda’s mentorship.
School bands played to a public audience on the same stage as the headline acts. The winning band is named Totem Pole Band of the Year.
Twenty speakers from NGOs, including Triratna Prerana Mandal, took the stage between sets so that the ideas reached the same audience as the music.
Totem Pole Conference · 11 & 12 October 2017
A music conference on the changing landscape of the music and entertainment industry, held at The St. Regis, Mumbai. It brought Grammy-winning producers, engineers and managers into one room with people from the Indian music industry, young musicians and students, and included a panel on independent music.
Voices
“About time that music business took notice of young talent. Across the world teenagers become music stars and grow into icons. Festivals like Totem Pole will definitely help that develop in India too.”
“My heartiest congratulations to Flying Carpet Productions on the organization of Totem Pole, the first teen music festival in India. Channeling teen power is the beginning of creating a great world.”
“Not only Mumbai but entire country needs this festival. This will help in developing talent and a holistic growth.”
Press · first edition, January 2016
Links open archived copies of the original articles.
Partners
Produced by
Producer
Boon Castle Media & EntertainmentVenue, music & media partners
Venue · 2016
Music partner
Distribution
Streaming partner
Media partner
Radio partner