Support Sky Islands at Our Concert For A Cause
*Update: We are happy to announce that, due to the generous contribution of a few Friends of Sky Islands we now able to offer the last few donor passes at subsidized rates.
You may be aware of the changes that threaten the Western Ghats, which faces significant challenges today. Its people, flora, and fauna are often in conflict, and the fate of its inhabitants—humans, plants, and wildlife—has far-reaching consequences for us all. Sky Islands is a pioneering platform which connects communities across the Western Ghats through engagement, action, and storytelling.
As a catalyst for social impact, fostering awareness and meaningful change—starting from Kodaikanal, where it has been piloted hyper-locally as The Kodai Chronicle since 2021, and extending far beyond—Sky Islands thinks both locally and big picture.
In order to raise funds to help our young non-profit initiative, we are holding (for the first time in the Palani Hills since 1989!) a ‘concert for a cause’ in the hill station of Kodaikanal. Donor passes begin at Rs 4999.
Our speaker
About the artists
Suman Sridhar is a singer and multi-award winner from Mumbai / New Jersey working at the intersection of performance, music, film and art. She has sung chart-topping Bollywood film songs and has been recognized by Rolling Stone magazine for ‘redefining indie music in India’. As composer and founder of The Black Mamba project, she fuses jazz, Indian classical, opera, spoken word and afrobeat in her performances. Evoking the metaphor of the ‘black mamba’, Suman transmutes poison into medicine through sound. The result is a contemporary genre – “worldbeat” wherein the performance traditions of parody, devotion, and protest are inexorably fused. Her performances include Berlin Biennale 11, Coke Studio MTV India, Kochi Muziris Biennale, Jazzmandu, Echoes of Earth Festival.
Seema Ramchandani is an educator, meditation facilitator and vocalist whose recording experience spans a diverse range of genres including pop, rock, world fusion and spiritual. She has toured the world performing concerts in support of various charities and spiritual organisations. After living in Nigeria, India and Hong Kong, she made the hills of Kodaikanal her home four years ago. Winner of India’s first reality TV show, ‘Popstars’ (Channel V), she was selected to be a member of an all-girl band, ‘Viva!’ She has recorded eight albums including a best-selling album with Viva!, Afro-Indian and English-Sanskrit albums, and ‘Celestial Music’, a bilingual album for the Sadhu Vaswani Mission. Seema now runs an education consultancy, ‘Sing With Seema’, and travels around the country conducting training workshops for students and teachers advocating the use of songs and chants in teaching.
Dindigul Mavattam Kodaikanal Poombarai Grama Kalai Kuzhu are a group of musicians from the indigenous Arunthatiyar community, based in Poombarai. Their music is deeply rooted in tradition, and they play a variety of instruments, ranging from the kombu (a kind of natural horn and a popular wind instrument in Tamil Nadu) to a variety of percussion instruments. Their music is deeply connected to our environment. Nine musicians will play at our event, in this special folk performance, native to the Palani Hills.
About the venue
Mountain Retreat Kodai is located on Old Upper Lake Road.
Set on a serene hill overlooking Kodai’s beloved lake, this contemporary 15-room boutique hotel is the perfect setting for an intimate Concert for a Cause.
From the Mountains to the Sea: Flavors of the Western Ghats
Our event features a specially curated menu, bringing together ancient traditions and bold flavors from around the Western Ghats. Every dish tells a story: steamed, roasted, blended and stirred with the finest ingredients. From herb-and fruit-infused elixirs and soup to crispy, delicately spiced bites with coastal and forest roots, this is a real feast of ancient grains, fresh greens, slow-cooked meats and plant-based delights, along with sweet indulgences.
If you buy a pass with this option you pay Rs 8999 per person, Rs 14999 per couple.
This is a unique event you will not want to miss!
Sky Islands, a platform for the Western Ghats based in one of the greatest and most threatened biodiversity hotspots on Earth, is published by The Kodai Chronicle Trust. We launch in April 2025! Watch a video about us, here.
