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The Fireflies Festival of Sacred Music is an annual music festival held at the Fireflies Ashram off Kanakapura road, Bangalore. It was previously known as Bhoomi Jathre.



The setting can be described as magical. The stage is set under a large Banyan Tree in an open-air amphitheatre which is located next to a lake surounded by a variety of lush, native trees.

The festival normally starts in the evening and carries on until early morning the next day. It is a night where tradition and modernity meet, overlap, and even fuse. The Fireflies festival endorses concepts of conviviality, friendship and spiritual values. It is an evening of music, laughter and fun. People have been known to go away praising and re-affirming the gift of being alive.

The first year the theme was on 'Peace in Iraq', the second year on the need to conserve 'Water', the third year it was 'Protect and grow more trees' and the fourth year 'The inner journey-The outer journey'

The Fireflies festival covers a wide range of musical genres including Hindustani and Carnatic vocal and instrumental, Baul, Fusion, Western jazz and folk.

Performers that have participated in this festival include:


 * 1) The Choir of the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore - led by Siddhartha Kotwal
 * 2) Vid. B.K Ananthram & Amit A Nadig - Classical Carnatic flute duet
 * 3) Sanjay Deshpande - Hindustani Sitar
 * 4) The Taalavadya Percussion  Ensemble - Carnatic percussions
 * 5) Prakash Sontakke - Hindustani Hawaian Guitar
 * 6) Dr. Thomas Chandy with his group - Jazz Revival
 * 7) Geetha Navale with her group – Esperanto
 * 8) Oikyotaan - Baul music fusion
 * 9) Bharat Sargam - Qawali
 * 10) Sumati - Hindustani Vocal
 * 11) The Raghu Dixit Project - Indo World Folk Rock
 * 12) Dollu Kunitha - traditional drumming
 * 13) Lounge Piranha - ambient-psychedelic music

Artists/groups that have performed at the Fireflies Festival of Music: - Oikyotaan (Baul music fusion)

- Rhythm of Rajasthan

- Tala Vadya (Karnataka College of Percussion)

- Vid. Geetha Navale and group (Veena concert)

- Earth Born (Carnatic Jazz fusion)

- Dr. Thomas Chandy with his group - Jazz Revival

- Kalbelia: Nomad Dancer of Rajasthan

- Dollu Kunita

- Qawali (Shafiq Pervez and group from Nagpur)

- Hindol Deb (Hindustani Classical)

International Artists:

- Bernard Wacheux (French Violinist – jazz / gypsy music)

- Clio Karabelia, (French Harpist - western and indian classical music)

- Nemanja Rebic (Serbian Guitarist - alternative)