Indie Sound Trail and Art Kanara Trust bring Tulunadu music and coastal stories aboard a boat

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Oct. 15, 2026: The Gurupura river provided a unique setting for a celebration of Tulunadu’s music, art and cultural heritage as Chorus of the Coast – The Homecoming Show was held aboard the Abbakka Queen cruise boat on Sunday, October 11.

Organised by Indie Sound Trail (IST) in association with Art Kanara Trust, the programme brought together contemporary music, innovative food and an exhibition of photographs and archival material documenting the region’s people, places and memories. More than 150 people participated in the cultural cruise.

Highlighting the historical role of rivers in shaping the movement, livelihoods and connections of communities in Tulunadu, the event explored how music and art can engage with the region’s cultural identity and contemporary life.

Carol Pinto of Indie Sound Trail said the initiative aimed to build a cultural ecosystem that provides artists with platforms to showcase their work and audiences with opportunities to discover new creative expressions.

Contemporary music celebrates Tulunadu

Led by Tulunadu-born musician Praveen Alva, Alva Kuuto performed alongside ToddyKats, Echoes in the Dusk and Joel Austin, presenting contemporary music shaped by diverse influences and perspectives.

“Tulu is not just something we inherit from the past — it is a language we can use to talk about who we are today,” Alva said.

One of the songs presented during the programme took the form of a prayer seeking divine intervention to protect the environment, bringing ecological concerns into the musical experience.

Art Kanara Trust showcases regional memories

Art Kanara Trust presented The Floating Archive, an exhibition of photographs and archival material in the cruise boat’s conference hall. The display offered glimpses of the region’s past, complementing the contemporary musical performances.

Nemiraj Shetty of Art Kanara Trust said an archive was not merely about preserving the past but also about understanding the present.

He noted that Tulunadu had been shaped by movement and exchange, adding that the collaboration provided an opportunity to bring archival memories into conversation with contemporary music and audiences.

Tulu script gets a contemporary platform

The programme also highlighted the Tulu script through its visual presentation, following World Tulu Script Day on October 10.

Indie Sound Trail collaborated with its official lettering partner, Solmelu Studios, whose hand-drawn Tulu-script artwork, Kaḍala Karæta Pāḍdana (Songs of the Coast), featured as part of the stage design.

The initiative aimed to bring the traditional script into a contemporary cultural setting and make it more accessible to new audiences.