Hemp, hustle and music at Ten10 Fair near Auroville

“Our space is built with the idea of promoting independent music and performances, because Loka, as a community, has been focussing on this space for two years now,” says Anuradha S. Founder of Loka House, a 1.5-acres co-living space near Auroville, Anuradha has been trying to form a creative community bringing together Chennai, Auroville and Puducherry’s talents. In pursuit of that aim is its Ten10 Fair, which will be entering its fourth edition this weekend.

Their dedication to indie music is particularly prominent in this edition, because of their tie-up with maajja, the recent initiative by AR Rahman to help independent musicians. “Arivu and Siennor are two of the artistes on their platform, who are coming to perform here through them, says Anuradha, adding, “The bulk of the musicians are from Pondicherry, Chennai and Auroville. We also have a couple of people coming down from Bangalore, including Vasu Dixit [vocalist and rhythm guitarist of folk fusion band Swarathma].”

Other interesting names in the lineup are Auroville-based world folk artiste Shalini Shekhar, psychedelic indie artiste Candy Box, and Puducherry rapper Ashtridia. There are intriguing sets in lesser-known genres, like Jhanu Chantar’s solo lunar punk act and Karthick Madrasi’s Tamil electronica and poetry.

The fair also features a string of workshops, from magic and mime to gymnastics, some art, a string of food stalls and an intriguing space dedicated to educating visitors about hemp. Says Anuradha, “We have seen an increasing interest in hemp in all the three festivals that we have done — in October, November and December 2020. So this time, we want to create an experience zone for people to interact with startups and companies working in this space. We have soap, clothes, food, paper, art, essential oils and more made with hemp.” Hemplanet Auroville and United Tesla Hemp Company in Mumbai are some of initiatives making their way to this fair.

The workshops are also pulling in practitioners and researchers from other states: an archery workshop, for instance, is set to be hosted by Sebin Philip from Kerala. From closer home, Auroville-based Drupad Gaonkar and Deep Naik will hold one on mime.

The Ten10 fair will be held on February 27 and 28 from 10 am to 6.30 pm at Bommayapalayam, Old Auroville Road. Details and passes are on www.bookmyshow.com.