Indian artistes making waves at this Mumbai College

If you're having a bad day in college and storm out of your classroom, chances are that there will always be one person playing the guitar in the hallway or the canteen. And chances are that the musician is preparing for an upcoming intercollegiate competition - because let's face it; in this city there's no end to those. But for long, those tunes have only been restricted to covers of popular songs that leave young artistes with little identity of their own. The indie music circuit in India is still in its nascent stage. And so, Ripples, the annual flagship music event of Sophia College, has decided to shed light on independent artistes through this year's theme, Unfiltered.

Tejas Menon

The intercollegiate competition will have musicians perform solo on original tracks. "We are aware that we're catering to a niche audience but we wanted to give recognition to indie music - which is not popular among young people. We'll have a lot of unfiltered storytelling. For instance, there's a song on rape that will be performed," says Manesa Krichena Mao, 21, the secretary of World Music Club (WMC). To stay true to the intimate nature of the theme, the event will feature only 10 performances. "We decided to narrow it down because we wanted to showcase only the best acts. The shortlisting was done by the WMC, led by a faculty member on the basis of music technicalities. Participants were even asked to submit a background note," Mao says.

Manesa Krichena Mao

Each performer will be given seven minutes on stage and even though there is an age limit - 16 to 25 years - there is no such restriction for audience members. The competition will be judged by top indie musicians Aarefah Rebello, Tejas Menon, and Shantanu Pandit. Pandit will also take the stage to sing tracks from his latest album Is This Biodegradable through his act Morning Mourning.

On: Today, 3 pm to 6 pm
At: Sophia Bhabha Hall, Sophia College campus, Breach Candy.
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 200

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