Bikes, Balloons, Boom of Music at Outfield Echoes

Hyderabad: Nobody in Hyderabad expects to see a Harley idling next to a hot air balloon basket while someone hovers 40 feet above the ground, but that is how Outback Echoes opened on Saturday.

Airfield 29 filled with engines, dust, music, campers who planned to stay the night, and a crowd of adventure lovers, bikers, car fans, collectors and people who came because it felt different.

“Outback Festival is very organic, very raw, very friendly, pet friendly, family friendly, one all come with all kinds of vibe,” said Gagan Hazuria, who runs Yellow Stage Events. She spoke about building a festival as a woman in a space usually linked to men, and said she handles everything from stunting to 4x4 details herself.

“We see a lot of revving up and smell of rubber. We are excited to see people pouring in and having a great time. This is what Outback Echoes is, and we are here in Hyderabad this time,” said Karan Malhotra, managing director of Yellow Stage Events, sitting on an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) near a row of Harleys and a cluster of Mini Coopers that had just rolled in.

Through the afternoon crews pulled ropes to steady the hot-air balloon and a boy watched from beside the wicker basket while pilots checked the burners. The balloon lifted slowly and people paused to look up.

Writer and political analyst Mohan Guruswamy, at the event, leaned on his walking stick and smiled. “A lot of young people here are interested in flying,” he said. “All mechanical things. I feel great. New things are happening in Hyderabad. I hope more will come and Airfield 29 will become a tourist attraction,” Dr Guruswamy said.

The day started with a mini mix before the 4x4 tug of war and the burnout round later. Drag racer Sean Rogers, who holds the fastest quarter mile time in India, watched from near his twin turbo Audi A8 and shook his head in amusement. “I wasn’t expecting this,” he said. “We have been longing to have something like this in Hyderabad ages.”

The crowd that came for the wheels stayed for conversations and music. The story room filled when Rogers spoke about motorsport in the city, and Captain Vicky Randhawa, who opened his private airstrip for the event, followed him. Randhawa’s name came up through the afternoon because none of this would have happened without him. Malhotra called Airfield 29 “beautiful” and said the space feels “crafted by Captain Vicky Randhawa himself.”

The music line up, which was niche and indie, moved between Arko Mukherjee Collective’s folk roots and Chowrasta’s familiar Hyderabad sound. Hyderabad’s leading female DJ, DJ Nephra took over at dusk when she stepped onto the roof of a car and started her set. “I am going to play some afro house beats, some house and disco and maybe some techno towards the end,” she said.

Adventure stayed central. Sukumar Das, founding director of Vertical World Aerosports, moved between the paramotors he owns including the balloon on the side of the field. “This is my hangar,” he said, pointing to the machines he has used for more than a decade.

Raunaq Yar Khan, recognised by the Asaf Jahi dynasty as its ninth Nizam, walked through the airstrip. “It is a fabulous event, people arrived before time because the arrangements are huge and the space feels almost like being at home because of the crowd,” he said. And on the note of homes, hopefully Outback will make Hyderabad its home and return in the years to come.