MUMBAI: The three-day teen music festival, Totem Pole 2017 which began on 13 October 2017 at the Bandra Fort Amphitheatre ended on a high note leaving music enthusiasts asking for more. It brought together Global performing artistes and music loyalists under one roof from all over the globe.

The day one started with thrilling sets from Theolodge, Xavier Keyz followed by Manasi Scott. Nicole Laeno, an 11-year-old dancer set the stage on fire with her enthralling dance moves. Other standout performances were by local band Dharavi Rocks, Sayantika Ghosh, Kashmiri band Alif, Best Kept Secret, Fifty50, Prathamesh Tambe and Omkar Patil amongst others. Nicolas Galat, a Colombian illusionist stole the show with his astonishing magic tricks.

Headlined by the Indian rapper Baba Sehgal, hundreds of fans braved the rains to come together for the culmination of the second edition.

“Totem Pole 2017 was truly fantastic. The event witnessed amazing support from Mumbaikars. Our idea is to show the youngsters that you can enjoy music without indulging in any kind of intoxication.  Big thanks to all the supporters and music aficionados for making it a success. The time has come for the music industry in India to change forever. We at Flying Carpet Productions are defining and driving culture,” said Flying Carpet Productions founder Ashish Manchanda.  

"We are all global citizens today.  As an integral part of this global village, we are at the core of blending India with the rest of the world, whether it is the US, Europe or the closer to home, SAARC countries.  We are both humbled and proud to be able to help drive the change through Music and Arts which will create new precedents in the times to come," said Flying Carpet Productions co-founder Ujjla Manchanda.  

The music extravaganza witnessed a great turnout inspite of the rains. With distinguished SAARC artistes like Voice Print (Sri Lanka), Pratap Bhattarai (Nepal), Mehreen Mahmud (Bangladesh), Tro Irufan Latheef (Maldives), Sonam Dorjee (Bhutan) coming down, fans from all over Mumbai let their hair down to the music played by varied artistes be it International or home-grown.

The highlight of the festival was the Top of the Pole school band competition, auditions were held on 14 October 2017. Not only did the winning band Poptastic get a chance to perform on Sunday but will also get the opportunity to produce its own album under the mentorship of Ashish Manchanda.

The Third day started off with School Band winners who were all loveable. Next on line was rappers duo all the way from LA Miki Vale and Queen Kandi Cole who maintained their tone will the end. The rain couldn’t stop the ladies and the illusionist Nicolas Galat from Columbia. He just made the moment magical and people were awestruck by his performance. There was excitement in the air as Omkar Patil with his harmonium took the stage. It brought a blend of Indian Classical, Folk, Pop/Rock and other Western Contemporary Styles at Totem Pole. Hip-hop dancer Nicole Laeno was everyone’s favourite. From Western songs to Bollywood song Kala Chashma she gave a power packed performance. Prathamesh Tambe was also no less. His head banging songs were electrifying. Artiste Sayantika Ghosh created a cinematic sensation in the arena. She captivated the crowd till the end and performed the songs from her collection.

During the event DJ Swivel, Josh Gudwin and Charity Lomax also came to stage and shared their experience in Mumbai. The venue Bandra Fort was all colourful and lighted up with fairy lights making the ambience more beautiful. The festival kept the children engaged in various competitions.