Music and Youth
MTV India Music Awards on the anvil?
MUMBAI: The original was the MTV Music Awards. Then came the MTV Europe Music Awards. The MTV Asia Music Awards had their second run in January. The natural next step would appear to be the MTV India Music Awards. And if the discussions going on at present bear fruition, that might just happen by this year-end.
Though no deal has been signed and delivered, discussions have reached a serious stage to hold an MTV India Music Awards around October-November, industry sources close to the matter say.
MTV India and the industry umbrella body – the Indian Music Industry (IMI) – are reportedly working out the logistics to hold what will be the “Indian chapter” of what has become an iconic event for youth across the globe.
Indian musicians and their fans would certainly welcome such a move considering the short shrift given to Indian artistes at the MTV Asia Awards, which has more of a Far Eastern cultural sensibility.
Whether any big international acts like Avril Lavigne, or Robbie Williams would deign to come down for something like this remains to be seen. But the success of the recent Rolling Stones tour to India may just sway the uppity types (and Mr Williams certainly falls in that category). A real coup though, would be if multiple-Grammy Award winner and the flavour of the season Norah Jones (Ravi Shankar’s “estranged” daughter) could be persuaded to perform.
And how successful would the awards be? Previous music awards – The Channel [V] Music Awards – ran for a couple of years before they were discontinued. MTV will have to tread carefully to ensure that they don’t go the way the earlier awards went. Also Zee has been running its Sangeet Awards – though they were of a different meter.
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
