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A passageway to India via Nyon - Photo Jared Bloch

Nyon, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - If your vacation itinerary doesn’t include a trip to India this year, consider a visit to the Paleo Festival. As part of its offerings, the Nyon based festival  is highlighting Indian culture, music, crafts and food this year.

For your passage to India, take the train to Nyon and then the local train. Direction: St Cergue (see GL tips in ”Practical guide to Nyon’s Paleo Festival,” and see GL’s Paleo Photo Album).

The crowd arriving in Nyon on the 17:00 train on Wednesday left no doubt about the tremendous following Paleo has accrued during the past 30 years. In addition to the range of Indian musicians performing on Wednesday 23 July, an array of musical talent from pop/rock dance favorites Franz Ferdinand, to Bonaparte, billed as an “international cabaret burlesque rock show,” and Quebecois Chanteuse Pascale Picard, was on display.

Crowd in front of La Terrasse

My first stop, in the vast encampment that is Paleo, was at La Terrasse bar, where I purchased a beer goblet for CHF2 and filled it with beer for another CHF4. The reusable plastic mugs are a great idea and the absence of disposable cups on the ground was immediately apparent.

The stadium seating in front of La Terrasse also makes for a nice “recuperation” spot, in between musical tastings and side show viewing. There were a surprising number of seats open during headliner acts yesterday on the main stage or “Grand Scene,” given that much of the crowd preferred the open space directly up front and to the sides of the stage.

Kiran Ahluwalia brings her Indian blues to Paleo - Photo Jared Bloch

With my ears still ringing, I wandered up the hill to the “Dome” stage , where Kiran Ahluwaliawas treating the crowd to her brand of Ghazals or Indian Soul, reminiscent of Fado  music. The accompaniment featuring classical guitar solos, tablas and an accordion-like instrument played on the floor, left the crowd awed, if slightly unsure of the protocol for applauding the stirring solos.

Back at the Grand Scene, Franz Ferdinand was igniting audience passions; I arrived at the stage just in time to see an overheated fan  swan dive from center stage (more like lame duck actually). “There’s one in every crowd,” the lead singer lamented, before launching into “Take Me Out.”

“Dhabi” is the word for a box of make-up in the language of Rajasthan, and reflects the colours and the tones  of the 13-member group of musicians from India, Ivory Coast and Tchad. They opened their show at the Dome 22 July, slowly, with an Ivorian percussionist solo warming up the crowd. As the crowd slowly gathered closer and thicker, three drummers from Rajasthan came on stage and did a duel with the Indian version of castanets (an instrument which in fact originated in that part of the world). Slowly they were joined by the other musicians.

Kids at Paleo

Kids at Paleo also have fun

Entertainment for children and adolescents at Paleo is offered at the La Ruche site. This is is not however, your average kiddy’s corner; it is just as much fun for the adults.

La Ruche is hidden away behind the food stalls and at the end of the main drag opposite the entrance. Sean Ecker, a GL writer was so enthralled that his son had to drag him away from the concerts.

Every night has seven different acts. One favourite was “Space fish,” the animated story of one man’s effort to send a fish into space. Really! The merry-go-round powered by a spectator on a stationary bicycle contributes to Paleo’s eco-friendly reputation. You can’t leave the kids there, but you won’t regret having found the little clearing on the edge of the festival.

Sean Ecker contributed to this story as well.

See GL’s Paleo Photo Album and the rest of GenevaLunch’s coverage of the Paleo Festival.