In the first instalment of “music, nature, culture and a whole lotta love at 11,500 feet”, the Ladakh Confluence (August 28-31) boasted a lineup of artists that was as likely to leave you breathless as the rarefied air and stunning surroundings. First-timer hiccups were cured by copious amounts of chhang and eclipsed by incredible highs: powerhouse Afro-Portuguese rhythms by Terrakota, khurtal and morchang masters Rajasthan Roots, hang-drum magicians Ortal Pelleg and Davide Swarup, jugalbandis by tabla god Talvin Singh, vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram and santoor player Rahul Sharma, Soulmate’s moonlit mountain blues, Shaa’ir + Func’s acoustic pop-poetry, one-man-two-guitar wonder Rodney Branigan, hypnotic drum circles by Roberto Narain, Ladakhi dance & music, bhakti and Bob Dylan by Vedanth Bharadwaj, down-under song-stories by Anna Van Riel, dance rhythms by Suchet Malhotra and jaw-dropping beatboxing by Bauchklang. Add to this the Film Lounge, Kids’ Tent, Riverside Camp of Magic & Healing, Happy Planet Initiatives and the cheery suggestion to Please Talk To Strangers, and you’ve got yourself a first-class festival in the making. Mark your calendars for 2010. More at www.theconfluence.in.