Music is all about transcending boundaries and barriers of all kinds and about promoting the idea of oneness and brotherhood," says accomplished singer Shubha Mudgal on being quizzed about what music means to her.

In the city to promote her forthcoming musical expo Baajaa Gaajaa, Mudgal elaborates on the event and says, "For a nation like India, which has so many diverse and varied forms of music, it is of prime importance to revive music forms inherent to different communities in India, as they fear extinction owing to lack of proper exposure and promotion. The event will highlight such forms of music from all around the country and also help facilitate an exchange of ideas among musicians."

Speaking about the various forms of music that the event will be showcasing she says, "Various forms of music like classical, folk, tribal music and music which is local to different communities in India will be played here. Besides we will also be focusing on religious music, which, in its own way, has carved a niche for itself and is slowly and steadily finding a balanced audience. We also aim to provide an interactive space to musicians, music lovers, scholars, instrument makers, publishers and record company owners and anyone else who is associated with music."

The festival will also host three short documentaries —Bishar Blues, Leaving Home by and Laya and three seminars, where the central theme will again be music. Tabla player Aneesh Pradhan, who, along with Shubha Mudgal is co-hosting this event, says, "The first seminar will be about media and music interaction. It is an effort to understand why problems are faced by the media vis-a-vis reporting music, the importance of intellectual property rights of music composers and the need for introducing experimentation in music."

Explaining the need to hold an event like this, Mudgal says, "Most music festivals usually focus on one particular genre of music. However, we want to use this event as a platform to bring forth the varied colours that music from all over the nation has to offer."