Indian Music Experience (IME) is a one-of-a-kind museum in Karnataka that explores the evolution of Indian music with interactive, multi-sensory exhibits. Head to Bnagalore’s JP Nagar to witness internationally-designed galleries and artefacts and listen to soulful classical music and contemporary fusion, all in one place. It is a great place to introduce children to the world of music.

Journeying through the soundscapes of South India: IME Highlights

• Sound Garden: 10 unique installations, including xylophones, gongs, bells, and the ‘singing stone.’
• Wraparound Theatre: 5-minute animated film encapsulating the journey of Indian music as a visual and auditory  delight.
• Gallery of Contemporary Expressions: A documentary on ‘indie rock’ music shown inside brightly-painted auto rickshaws; also includes a ‘hybrid sounds’ interactive DJ booth.
• Samay Chakra Theatre: A room that brings alive the morning, evening, and midnight ragas of Hindustani music; visitors lie on the floor to gaze up at the masterpiece.
• String Puppets Section: A celebration of folk songs, festivals, and legendary stories about life.
• Instruments Gallery: Features a stunning collection of more than 100 instruments; also has touch-screens for displaying 36-degree views and listening to the sounds.
• Interactive Section on Hindi Films: Background scores demonstrating the emotions of Bollywood, from comedy, to melodrama, to thrillers.
• Gallery of the Stars: A recording studio where the entire family can sing, design an album cover, and email a digital copy of the track as a souvenir.
• Songs of Struggle Gallery: Iconic songs of the Indian freedom movement, including tunes from some lesser-known singers and poets who used music to protest against injustice.
• Gramophone Set: A photo-op set that takes you back to the 1920s when gramophones were a pride of homes and  brought neighbourhoods together.

Our delegates got a chance to take a tour of these installations as a part of the Inside India program back in 2019. Teenagers from different corners of the country took part in several workshops, festivals, and live sessions. One of the workshops was with the artisans at Swaram in Auroville. Participants got to handcraft musical instruments and learn about the history, traditions, and healing practises connected with them.

Here are some more glimpses from ‘Inside India 1.0’.