When I Met, When Chai Met Toast

It was just another day when I picked up my gear and was on my way to cover another event. Things changed when I got a phone call, with the person asking me if I would like to cover the pro show of Invictus, “When Chai Met Toast”. I obviously said yes.

I was into Indian indie music lately and WCMT is one of the big names. The music they create is very refreshing and it gives out positive vibes.

When I entered the amphitheater, the crowd was less at the beginning. They were fixing the lights and checking the sound. Initially I was nervous, because I had never covered a concert before.
But oh my, when the concert started I was startled.
The lights and the smoke, the blissful music, the vibe, it was all very beautiful.
My experience was way beyond my capacity to put it into words. On one hand I was enjoying the music, on the other hand I was filled with anxiety as to not mess it up. I remember clumsily switching between my zoom and prime lens figuring out the shots. But being a photographer, I got to be inside the barricade, near the stage with a very different view than other people.IMG 0303 2 01

While I was at it, the band didn’t only enjoy their performance, they made the audience dance to the beats of the highly enthusiastic music. The audience sang and clapped along too. You could see the euphoria in their eyes. What was something different to me was how they paused before starting a new song and told the audience the story and the meaning behind the lyrics of the song. Being a lyric enthusiast, this made a great deal of a difference for me. The highlight of the evening was when they played my favorite song “khoj”, I almost lost it. My eyes were getting blurry, I couldn’t believe I was listening to them live. I sang out loud, as I let the beats sink in.

The concert was the cutest I have ever attended and though it was short, it created a huge impact on the audience. I overheard an audience member saying “It’s good music ya, it’s good music”, which made me feel good about the quality of Indian music and how the independent music industry is slowly growing.

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