Kailash Kher's Kailasa, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt mesmerise Pushkar

An exotic set-up at the sand dunes and the alluring music of Kailash Kher's band Kailasa, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt's Mohan Veena and Sino-French duo Yom and Wang Li enthralled bedazzled spectators here on the second day of Shree Cement The Sacred.

Organised by Teamwork Arts, the day two of the three-day music and spirituality festival, was kicked of by an energetic performance by the Rajasthan folk group Jaisalmer Boys, a relatively new act formed by Chugge Khan.

Beginning their set with folk songs from Rajasthan, they quickly got the crowd moving with a flawless renditions of "Dama dam mast kalandar" and "Allah hu".

With a nine-member ensemble, featuring children aged between 7 and 15 along with senior musicians, Jaisalmer Boys exhibited a towering stage presence and filled the environs with a magical aura.

Next to take the stage was Grammy Award-winning legend Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, renowned for playing the Mohan Veena, the instrument created by him.

The virtuoso began his performance with raga maru in teen-taal and also performed "Kesariya balam", much to the delight of the Rajasthani audiences.

He also performed a veena rendition of the sound of Koyal that left everyone speechless.

The penultimate performance was delivered by Sino-French duo Yom and Wang Li, who mesmerised the attendees with their unique blend of bass clarinet and Jewish harp.

Li's harp worked as a bass rhythm while Yom's clarinet emanated powerful sonic harmonies. At times, the music was rather dissonant, which created a mystifying atmosphere.

Li created astonishing beats by just using his harp and his mouth and filled the void left behind by the lack of percussion.

Towards the end of their spellbinding performance, they won the hearts of the crowd, many of whom had no inkling about their act earlier.

Lastly, the headlining act of the evening, Kailash Kher and his band Kailasa took to stage amid a roaring reception.

Addressing the massive gathering in his quirky style, Kailash announced his connect with Pushkar, where one of Kailasa's music video was shot.

Performing crowd favourites "Teri deewani", "Tauba tauba", "Rang deeni" and "Tu jane na" from the film "Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani".

The crowd went into a frenzy when veteran percussionist Nathu Lal Solanki joined Kailasa for a fusion. Together, they performed the highly popular "Bam lahiri" to finish off the proceedings.

With the culmination of a highly electrifying evening, the crowd of Pushkar took home unforgettable memories with only one impression in their minds -- the triumph of spirituality and art over negativity.

(The writer's trip to Pushkar is sponsored by the organiser. Ankit Sinha can be contacted at ankit.s@ians.in)