#BiodiversitybytheBay Digital Festival
To continue to expand the conversations young people are having about biodiversity, and to celebrate the power of community and creativity, the Ministry designed a month-long digital festival of artists, comedians, and musicians. Nature has always been a source of inspiration for creativity - and it’s time we gave back! The Ministry worked with DeadAnt, India’s first and only entertainment, news and new-media company dedicated to comedy.
Our week of musicians featured performances by duo Parekh and Singh, alongside acoustic singer Nikhil Dsouza and singer-songwriter Tejas. Also on the lineup was contemporary pop/rap star Anushka Manchanda, BLOT!, and rapper and Desi Hip Hop editor Dee MC. Each musician performed, and spoke about the campaign, with their personal connection to Mumbai.
The design week featured some of India’s most promising young visual artists, including Shilo Shiv Suleman, Priyanka Paul, Pia Alize Hazarika and Aaquib Wani. We also had the opportunity to work with Aaron Pinto, Smish Designs, Mehek Malhotra, Osheen Siva, Shweta Malhotra and Vinu Joseph. Each artist released an original piece of work, responding to one of the campaign’s focus areas, including the biodiversity of Aarey Forest, the Lesser Flamingos, and the Koli Community.
Finally, to bring some laughter to 2020, we worked with comedians like podcasters from The Internet Said So, Kunal Rao, Jose Covaco, Prashasti Singh, Daniel Fernandes and Anu Menon. Each performer found new ways to strike up a conversation about biodiversity, whether through misheard lyrics, an explanation of the birds and the bees, or dating advice.
We were thrilled to see the responses we received from these artists and their communities, with thoughtful comments, new and original perspectives, and their clear love of Mumbai. We look forward to continuing to work with this community in the future!