Bangalore-based team Cobalt is going all out this year with goMAD 2013. The objective is to unite people from around the country for the cause of art and music. goMAD is heading to the hills of Ooty, and it’s listing out some of the biggest names in the music scene in India. The second edition of goMAD will start from October 25 till October 27 at the Fern Hill Palace.

goMAD is three days of music, arts, dance and camping out in the woods of the Nilgiris. It is an annual music festival dedicated to the most diverse of creative arts. From fusion rock to pop, electronica to metal, from whirling dancers to art installations, goMAD is a unique annual festival with no headlining acts – only pure celebration of the arts.

The three-day long festival is headed by a Bangalore called Cobalt. Cobalt is a team of professionals with over three decades of global experience in marketing, design, communication and events. They tell us, “We put our minds together and the result of this cerebral collision is a potent magic potion. We create experiences like no other.” goMAD is shaping out to be one of the biggest platforms for musicians, artists and dancers, in India.

The goMAD team strongly believes that 36 hours of dancing in the moonlight and rocking through dawn is a spiritual awakening that can break barriers, move people and bring them together.

This year, goMAD is pulling all the stops. Bangalore is flaunting it’s own list of bands that will be performing at the festival. This includes bands such as UNK: The Radha Thomas Ensemble, One Nite Stand, The Chronic Blues Circus and Clown with a Frown. Other musical acts of reputes like Soulmate, The Raghu Dixit Project, Ska Vengers and Live Banned, amongst other, are lining up.

We spoke with Sunish Tom, the CEO of Cobalt.

“2012 was our first foray into music festivals. We tentatively dipped our toes and the surge has carried us through the year, leading us to 2013. Now we’re back, with bigger names, exciting add-ons, better organisation, more experience and a lot of fun,” says Tom.

The second edition of goMAD will start from October 25 till October 27 at the Fern Hill Palace, Ooty. He continues, “What also makes us slightly different is that we don’t have any headlining acts.”

Being a Bangalore-based organisation, we wondered why Ooty and not somewhere closer to home. Tom explains, “Ooty has been an eternal favourite when it comes to travel destinations. Especially for the folks based out of south Indian cities. As a hill station, it is easy to access over a weekend. Ooty’s weather also helps and that’s why we arranged for the festival to be here.” We hear goMAD promises to be bigger and better this year.

We ask Tom about any surprises in store gearing up for Ooty. Tom tells us, “Two tribes Toda and Kota will be collaborating with music artistes this year. These same tribes showcased their traditional music on the opening day of the festival last year. This year, we will also be having a film festival that will showcase some great documentaries, such as Once Upon a time in Europe and The Last Word, among others.”

“We have got a lot in store this year considering it’s a bigger and better improvement from the last. We know word-of-mouth has generated more interest in the festival and we are sure that it is going to be well-received.”

He continues, “We have over 60 acts and 300 plus performing groups. We’re conducting workshops for guitar sessions, photography, belly-dancing and more. We have introduced many lodging packages for the sake of convenience such as the biker’s package, the camp package and the palace package.”

As for the million-dollar question - how much money is Cobalt looking to make from this year’s goMAD? Tom says, “At this stage we are unable to confirm the facts and figures but we are hoping to break even.”