MUMBAI: Imagine sitting next to the sounds of gushing riverbed with some beautiful music playing to compliment this venue structured in the heart of Mother Nature. Well, this is now offered in reality by Andhra Pradesh Tourism curated by E- Factor Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

The first Amaravati Global Music and Dance Festival in Andhra Pradesh created a booming atmosphere with delightful performances by some of the finest artists in the realm of music and dance. The four-day celebratory show from 10-13 February 2017 created a cultural confluence with the best of classical performances at the backdrop of a beautiful sunset on the riverbank and popular forms of music.

The festival inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Nara Chandrababu Naidu kick started with the Sama Veda Chanting and aarti at the Pavitra Sangamam of river Krishna and Godavari. This marked the beginning of astounding Kazakh State Philharmonic Orchestra fusion act with the violin maestro Padma Bhushan Dr. L. Subramaniam. It is an honor to watch Dr. Subramaniam perform live and it turned out to be one of the best performances of the festival.

Amongst all the four days, day two was a big hit. Legendary singers Kavita Krishnamurthy, Anup Jalotha, Suresh Wadekhar, Talat Aziz, Rajasthani folk band Langas and Purno Das Baul created magic on the stage. The evening was initiated by the performance of Baul tradition musician and singer Purno Das Baul with Dibyendu Das, then the Bhajan Samrat Anoop Jalota performed his beautiful bhajans, Ghazal maestro Talat Aziz engaged with the audience (localities) while delivering mesmerizing ghazals, the 90’s sensational playback singer Suresh Wadkar created a Bollywood environment, then a traditional touch of Rajasthani Folk was brought in by the Langas and last but not the least, Kavita Krishnamurthy graced the stage with the best of Bollywood.

On day three Indian percussionists Sivamani and Trilok Gurtu brought the essence of different cultures on one platform, with an astounding musical performance that left the audience amazed.

Counting all the magnificent performances of the day, that one performance held back the audience which turned out to be the climax of the show. 'Vaishnava Janto' was performed by all the artistes present that day. The song was initially planned to perform with some other artists who could not turn up at the end moment and so with in a few minutes a performance with the Suresh Wadhekar, Talat Aziz, Anoop Jhalotha, Langas, Purno Das Baul and Kavita Krishnamurthy was prepared and performed. No wonder it was a marvelous performance.

The first of its kind riverfront festival in India also offered a gamut of exciting activities for travel and adventure enthusiasts. From camping in the lap of nature on an island just across the river front to hot air ballooning to paramotoring and water sports against the pristine waters of river Krishna, the Amaravati Global Music and Dance Festival left a lasting impact and contributed immensely to putting Amravati on the global tourist destination map.