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Arunima Joshua

About Me

I am an Editor who specialises in music and culture coverage.

How I Work

I tell stories capturing a moment or movement within India's music and culture landscape.  With over a decade of association with India's independent music industry, I have covered the scene and contributed  extensively to communications (PR) efforts in the same.

Get in Touch

arunima.joshua@gmail.com

Selected Bylines

Splainer •

Shop ’til you drop: Mumbai edition

Editor’s note: We asked Arunima Joshua, journalist and Mumbai shopping expert, to cut through the clutter and compile this no-nonsense shopping guide to Mumbai, with a special focus on counter culture and indie finds. After all, no place does hustle with a side of cool better than the maximum city.
 
(Check out our shopping guides to Bengaluru and Goa. You can also head to our sister site, Souk, for the best shopping recommendations.)
 
*****
 
 
 
Fluxus Chapel (map), Bandra 
 
This is run by o...
Time Out India •

I went to Ladakh's first edition of Akasa Gathering and danced to techno beats

Read Time Out's trip report of the Akasa Gathering, a brand new destination music and wellness festival in Karu, LadakhAn expanse of arid Himalayan splendour unfurls beneath me as my rickety plane descends over Leh airport – the highest commercial airport in India, no less. I feel a twinge of nervousness grasp my chest as the pilot announces the temperature outside. Mumbai girls like me don't quite understand the concept of 3°C until the draught bites their noses off.
But what I'm here for is e...
Billboard India •

Taba Chake Takes His Music to Europe | Billboard India

The finger-style guitarist and indie-folk performer behind the albums Bombay Dreams and Khud Ko Miloon is set to take his Nyishi dialect, Hindi, Assamese, and English tracks to five cities across the U.K. and Europe in October 2026. He sat down with Billboard India to answer our On The Road questionnaire.


Where are you taking your tour and how many stops are there?


Between October 7 to 11, I’ll be travelling from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Birmingham, London, Manchester and Cologne (German...
mint •

Diaspora electronic artists look to the past for inspiration | Mint

The New York-based duo of Mihir Chauhan and Jaiveer Singh , who make music as Baalti, say it’s one of the most fun samples on their new record. It’s a small example of their unique source material—Carnatic beats, club sounds, chopped Indian classical scatting. In the 1970s, rumours swirled that the ‘Skylab’ satellite would crash in the Kashmir valley. It never did crash, but became a legendary anecdote. In Baalti & Lapgan’s music video for Lime Tikka, a village girl named “Satellite” is seen try...
Billboard India •

How Peter Cat Recording Co. Became India’s Biggest Indie Export | Billboard India

Frontman Suryakant Sawhney’s (better known to fans as Lifafa) swinging serenade of “So move over darling…”, the opening lyric of “Memory Box”, soars over views of the San Francisco runway and planes across the glass. Low-lit lamps are placed between the swaying crowd of airport attendees. In June, the Delhi-based indie veterans Peter Cat Recording Co. took a 17-hour flight to the Californian city, landed at the airport, and played a pop-up concert at Terminal 1’s Gate B4 to a swarm of music enth...
Billboard India •

Prateek Kuhad’s New Era Is ‘Loose And Free’

It’s a rainy afternoon in Mumbai’s Khar West suburb. We take the elevator to the seventh floor to meet Prateek Kuhad, fresh off the release of his third studio album, Full Moon Chamber. In a pristine white space, bathed in natural light, Kuhad is seated in a flowing cotton shirt and pants. The singer-songwriter, who has consolidated his status as an indie fixture over the past decade, has spent the last few years living partially in Los Angeles, where the new album was written and recorded. In I...
Billboard India •

On The Road: Rashmeet Kaur

Rashmeet Kaur took her Punjabi and Bollywood tunes to six cities across North America for her ‘Rashmeet Kaur Live’ tour over the last month. She sat down with Billboard India to answer our On The Road questionnaire.


1. Where did you tour and how many stops were there?


This was my first North American tour. ‘Rashmeet Kaur Live’ hit up New York, Toronto, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Oakland, Vancouver with six stops over the last month. Now I’m set to play two shows in Delhi and Mumbai in Aug...
Billboard India •

On The Road: When Chai Met Toast

Kochi-based band When Chai Met Toast are set to perform in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Dubai and Vancouver – to name a few cities – for their ‘Joy Rooms’ tour from August – November 2026.


The four-piece act comprises vocalist Ashwin Gopakumar, guitarist Achyuth Jaigopal, keyboardist Palee Francis, and drummer Pai Sailesh. They sat down with Billboard India to answer our On The Road questionnaire.





1. Where are you touring and...
Time Out Mumbai •

Beyond The Food Crawl: Mumbai's New Wave Of Indigenous Food Walks

Ambi bai is dancing. She's surrounded by the other adivasi women of the Thakkar tribal community, and for a moment, nobody in the group is thinking about the donna baskets or foraged shevdi stalks in front of them. 
A city like Mumbai has no dearth of compelling cultural walks. The usual ones'll take you to hotspots to savour street food and fine dining alike. The pub crawls will get you day-drunk. But there's a newer kind of walk that isn't chasing either high. This is for the tourist sick of...
Billboard India •

Meet NEVERSOBER: Indie Music’s Go-To Producers

Soham Mukherji and Riz Shain have produced songs for the likes of King, Jonita Gandhi, OutStation, Ikka, Chaar Diwari and even collaborations featuring Jay Sean and Jason Derulo. The duo, now 24 and 26-years old, have worked since their teen years on the art of music production, having learnt the ropes from YouTube tutorials, like many of their Gen Z peers.


While Mukherji comes from a musical family, having veteran Bollywood singer Shaan as his dad, Shain started out assisting brothers Armaan...
Billboard India •

MadStarBase Never Intended To Go Legal

Following years of takedowns and copyright strikes, the viral bootlegs by Anant Ahuja and Neal Sekhri – the DJ/ Producer duo who go by the alias MadStarBase – have had their second label win with Saregama officially releasing four of their retro Bollywood edits. 


R. D. Buraman’s iconic “Dum Maaro Dum,” ‘90s anthem “Saat Samundar,” cabaret classic “Piya Tu” and “Meri Umar” which is a flip of Kishore Kumar’s “Om Shanti Om” are all available on digital platforms now. With Saregama’s seal of appr...
Billboard India •

Aksomaniac’s Queer Icons Are His Friends

Malayalam R&B artist Aksomaniac has watched his track “Amsham” rise and rise on global charts. The moniker of singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Aron Kollassani Selestin, ‘Aksomaniac’ was his way of flipping his initials with his Instagram username when he started making music. Featuring fellow Malayalam artists – singer Bhumi and producers M.H.R and Circle Tone – “Amsham” is a beat-led slow burn on longing of the heart. It centres around a South Indian deity of desire – ‘Man...
Billboard India •

Garvit-Priyansh Want To Soundtrack The Movies

In April this year, playback legend Arijit Singh covered Garvit-Priyansh’s breakout hit “Kaahe Mose” at a Delhi concert. Singh said it was one of his favourite songs and asked the crowd to remember the duo’s name. A few weeks later, the Mumbai-based artists have been selected for the YouTube Music Foundry Class of 2026 – alongside pop group Outstation, North-East duo Antara & Ankita Nandy and singer-songwriter Damini Bhatla. The YouTube Foundry program provides emerging musicians with direct fin...
Billboard India •

What Is Playback In A Post-Arijit World?

RJ Rohini remembers the evening. The entire Fever FM team huddling together to figure out how to console their listeners. Arijit Singh had just posted a note to Instagram saying he was no longer going to take playback singing projects. “I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” wrote the “Channa Mereya” crooner. The entirety of the next day was dedicated to Singh, with requests coming in from all across the country. “The radio sounded beautiful that day. We were able to acknowledge the f...
Splainer •

Made in India: A new kinda spice girl

Editor’s note: India’s Gen Z pop era has just begun. Hooks that crawl into your ears, elaborate stage designs with couture to match, backup dancers that don't miss a beat—indie music didn't look like this 10 years ago. How did we get here? And who are the artists leading this 360 degree revolution? Arunima Joshua spotlights eight exciting popstars remaking the Indian indie space today.
 
Written by: Arunima Joshua
 
*****
 
We’re in the age of the certified pop girlies. They may be building slow...
Billboard India •

Before ‘Bairan’ Nobody Was Listening to Banjaare

Brothers Sumit and Anuj speak to us from Kurukshetra, Haryana, where they have recently acquired an independently rented home. The duo do not disclose their surname, and request to be known together only by their alias ‘Banjaare’. They have held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard India songs chart for over twelve weeks, for their song “Bairan”. 


“We are two feet above the ground,” the siblings tell Billboard India over a video call. Flute parts, strummy guitar and a syncopated beat, drive the so...
mint •

Old machines and introspective electronica on Sijya's new EP

On Rust, the second track off the electronica composer-producer Sijya’s new EP, Leather & Brass, the refrain of “you’re not afraid to write me off, I’m not afraid to tie you up" lingers. It echoes the tension of the layered vocals and guitar pedals, the latter borrowed from her mix engineer. Sijya, who describes herself as kanjoos (tight-fisted), says she has a commitment issue with gear. “It’s all so expensive and I don’t know if I’m going to use it for five years. Everything is 50,000 plus. I...
Splainer •

False God: The great Swiftie conundrum

Editor’s note: Pop icon Taylor Swift has perhaps the most committed fanbase in all of pop music right now. The Swifties have been following, analysing, and dissecting every single move she has made for close to two decades, united in their adoration. However, her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, has caused a rare ‘glitch’, dividing her fanbase—the disillusioned, the loyal, and the cult conspiracy theorists. All of them trying to grapple with the big Q: What has Taylor Swift become? 
 
Music jo...
The Nod Magazine •

What went down at Lollapalooza India 2026

If 2025 proved one thing, it was that there’s never been a better time for Indian gig-goers. The luck continued with Lollapalooza, the annual get-together of Gen Alpha, Gen Z, millennials, and boomers, where dads, mums, and their children got to watch some of their favourite musical acts. At the 2026 edition, produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live, artists from Japan to the UK, São Paulo to Canada, and the US to Asia congregated at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse over the weekend to offer us the...
Time Out Mumbai •

Idoru | Best cocktail bars in Mumbai

It’s supposed to feel like home. But how many homes have you been where a casual mascarpone dip-based bite is topped with red caviar – ikura, the Japanese kind? The ikura is also a feature of a Roku Gin-based cocktail (Ikura Opera), in which the delicate salmon roe is served on an ornate golden spoon and bursts slowly in my mouth.
The array of Japanese spirits is displayed against a technicolour blue, complementing the Munro speaker and custom panels that decorate time and space. Opulent orange...
Rolling Stone India •

Review: Mumbai Gets a Dose of Pop Perfection with Dua Lipa

Our recap of all the sights and action at the Zomato Feeding India Concert 2024, featuring Jonita, NAV, Talwiinder and more Undeniably the biggest moment from Dua Lipa’s Mumbai concert this weekend was when the Albanian-British pop star crooned and Bollywood danced to the viral mashup of her song “Levitating” with the 1999 filmy hit “Woh Ladki Jo” from the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Baadshah as you would have seen all over social media by now. The Instagram reel sensation was originally mixed by Mum...
Splainer •

The new wave of desi alt-electronica

Editor’s note: Is techno now boujee? Is raving now matcha-and-samosa-fied as Gen Z goes sober? Can people actually tell the difference between house, bass, and electro, all while ‘soft-clubbing’ at a run? What’s next for electronica in India then?
 
In this cracking list, music journalist and former Advisory editor Arunima Joshua looks at the new wave of desi alternative electronica—how these experimental and ambitious artists are bridging the worlds of art pop and electronic music through melod...
Vogue India •

Must be the season of the witch(core)

On the occasion of Halloween, the supernatural and witchcore haven’t just been amped up but also paid tribute to as parties, coven meets and Wicca have taken centre-stage at commercial and community events. Mumbai-based WENCH Film Festival dedicated to the horror and fantasy genres just hosted a gig called ‘Disco Blood Bath’ which featured a vampire wedding complete with a wedding band and DJ. Singer Suman Sridhar performed the ‘Opera of the Vampyr’ for the vampire nuptials, narrating a horror s...
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Selected Bylines

Splainer •

Shop ’til you drop: Mumbai edition

Editor’s note: We asked Arunima Joshua, journalist and Mumbai shopping expert, to cut through the clutter and compile this no-nonsense shopping guide to Mumbai, with a special focus on counter culture and indie finds. After all, no place does hustle with a side of cool better than the maximum city.
 
(Check out our shopping guides to Bengaluru and Goa. You can also head to our sister site, Souk, for the best shopping recommendations.)
 
*****
 
 
 
Fluxus Chapel (map), Bandra 
 
This is run by o...
Splainer •

Bombay beauties: What you should be doing in the city

Bombay beauties: What you should be doing in the city

Editor’s Note: This is part one of the most detailed guides to Bombay’s crowded arts & culture scene. There are few people more passionate about the city than Arunima—who has spent 12 years exploring all its delightful nooks and crannies... Here’s what you really ought to be doing on your next trip to the Maximum City—from music venues, theatre, architecture and art galleries.

I've lived in the frenetic financial capital for the past 12 yea
Splainer •

A very useful gifting guide: How to shop on Instagram

A very useful gifting guide: How to shop on Instagram

Editor’s note: Gifting is tricky business—and creates great anxiety (See: This excellent The Atlantic essay). Insta seems like a great place to find something unique and thoughtful—handcrafted, bespoke items that show we care. But we all worry about being gypped. Advisory editor Arunima Joshua has a guide to help you navigate the perilous shoals of the ‘gram.

Instagrammable goodies. We’ve all seen them. Perfect pictures of baubles and cute
Mint Lounge •

Sandunes’ earth songs in ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feet’

During the covid-19 pandemic, music producer and composer Sanaya Ardeshir thought “the world was going to end and that music was done”. Ardeshir, better known by her moniker, Sandunes, spent the first year of covid travelling through Goa and south India with her partner, bassist and mix engineer Krishna Jhaveri, recording circadian rhythms—12 hours of day time and 12 hours of night time recordings, with no intention of making music again.

The songwriter from Mumbai considered doing something el
IndiaTimes •

Four Indie Music Artists Setting The Stage On Fire Right Now!

On a rainy evening at Mumbai’s G5A “black box” performance venue, Kavya Trehan, (stage name stylised as KAVYA), is surrounded by an extensive set of loopers, synthesisers, electronic drums and keys. The indie artist is performing songs from her 2021 EP Know Me Better: Her lilting voice casts a spell aided by her outfit of couture saree-pants. KAVYA put on an audio-visual spectacle nothing like I’d witnessed before, in my decade of attending indie gigs and festivals. Her vocals channelled pop and
Splainer •

Folk to film: Bollywood remakes traditional ballads

Editor’s Note: Here’s a modern folk lesson. Arunima takes you through the history of folk compositions and their several renditions that finally land up in the glitzy and danceable world of Bollywood music. Listen in, take in the folklore—and feel free to compare them to the filmy versions!

Bollywood has often retold folk and oral traditions glistening them alive to the silverscreen. This is also true for the musical traditions of the largest film industry in the world. We introduce you to the
Splainer •

We recommend: Indie music from the Valley

We recommend: Indie music from the Valley

Editor’s Note: Here’s a wonderful crash course in contemporary independent music from Kashmir. Hip-hop, sufi and rock artists are recreating poetry and folk sounds—but with a message and often uncomfortable for the rest of the nation.

Indie experimentation in the subcontinent is peaking across genres. And it’s no different in Kashmir where indie artists are seriously kicking ass. The mood in the Valley is more hip-hop—marked by a resurgence of sufi-fol
Splainer •

Beer drinker’s guide to Pune

Editor’s Note: The lesser-known treasure of Pune is its craft beer. Homegrown breweries, online deliveries, draft beer on tap and the multiple craft beer festivals reflect the laid back pace of the city. Hope you enjoy checking Arunima Joshua’s favourite spots to grab a cold one. Have a ‘brewtiful’ weekend:)

It’s no secret that craft breweries and artisanal beer are having their ‘hoppiest’ moment in the country. Beer drinkers are spoilt for choice—whether you’re in the mood for coconut cream al
Splainer •

An excellent playlist of drummer beats

Editor’s Note: This weekend, unleash your inner percussionist with these groove slapping tracks curated by Aarifah Rebello. The selection ranges from the pop punk phonetics of Paramore to classics from Jet, Mutemath and Death Cab for Cutie. Also included: off-time signatures and double kick beats from the masters Foo Fighters and Alter Bridge and new-age RnB from Anderson .Paak.

As a storyteller and performer, Aarifah Rebello may strum a trusty acoustic guitar or experiment with a live-looper,
Mintlounge •

On Midnights, a sexier, sparkier Taylor Swift

Ten albums in, Taylor Swift knows her job as an artist and songwriter. On her new studio album, she seems to have a keener understanding of it than ever before. Midnights features deft lyricism and a rhythmic cadence, eschewing simple verse formats for her deepest dive yet into celebrity vulnerability.

Also read: Pena artist, Mangka, sings of the past and future

Midnights autobiographically chronicles 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout Swift’s life. There are frequent recalls to her earl
Red Bull •

Four things to check out at EyeMyth Festival 2019

In its fifth edition since 2011, Delhi-based UnBox Festival’s media arts offspring EyeMyth Festival returns to Mumbai shores. What will most likely be a balmy Bombay winter weekend from November 29th to December 1st, will witness three days of intersecting art, culture and technology.

One of the most interesting facets of multi-disciplinary and cultural festivals in this metropolis is venue hopping. EyeMyth takes place at four of the most diverse venues in the culture-incubating infrastructure
Sakal Times •

Spinning siblings

After working with an international label, an indigenous label, and a Mumbai-based artist management agency, Pune-based electronic act — the Moon Roots Project — decided to take the DIY way recently. Self-releasing their fourth EP Esin earlier this year and also recruiting a close friend as manager, the techno beatmakers have had things only looking up since.

The synergy can mainly be attributed to the fact that the duo, Fatema and Hannan (Hakim), also happen to be siblings. With about a six-ye
Pune Mirror •

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

By: Arunima Joshua



House and techno-music producer, anish sood, will play a one-of-a-kind show in the city



Goa-based Anish Sood is only 27. This is also probably why he’s completely at ease taking a risk by playing a set which is “not crowd friendly” in his own words. “What I do is I turn all the lights off so it becomes pitch black and we have just one strobe light which kind of creates a very epileptic kind of dark room vibe,” says Sood, describing the experience that he has in sto
Rolling Stone India •

Delhi Indie Night Opens Up To Local Bands

In 2009, British expats Andy Dodd and Nathan Steele met in the capital city at a common friend’s house party. Now better known by their stage monikers DJ Doddji and DJ Steelish, the duo is popular among Delhi’s alternative music scene, whose growth they have contributed to steadily. As part of Delhi Indie Night, the two have been hosting unique gigs where attendees are assured cheap booze, odd themes (they’ve had ”˜aprons and gloves’ parties to ”˜wearing two different shoes on each foot’ dos) an
Pune Mirror •

METRE UP

By: Arunima Joshua



Experimental Marathi poetry show Irshaad, helmed by two veteran city-based poets, is making waves globally and returns home tonight



The word “irshaad”, literally translates to a command or an order given to someone. In poetry, however, the word is used as an encouragement by the audience for the performer to commence his couplet or verse. City-based poets Sandeep Khare and Vaibhav Joshi write and perform largely in Marathi.



Barely eight months old, Irshaad ha
BOOM •

Did These Books Predict The Coronavirus Outbreak? | BOOM

Social media is abuzz claiming two books – The Eyes of Darkness (1981) by Dean Koontz and End Of Days (2008) by Sylvia Browne – predicted the Coronavirus outbreak.

Users are sharing images from the books, one of them written in 1981, on Facebook, WhatsApp And Twitter highlighting excerpts from the books that speak about a similar outbreak.

While the internet has lately been flooded with varied misinformation and misleading claims around the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the connection
Festival Sherpa •

Lost Stories Drop Remix For Alan Walker's "Alone" And It's Banging!

Ever since its release at the end of last year, Alan Walker‘s latest electro-house stomper “Alone” has been on everyone’s lips and minds, with its lush vocals, courtesy of Swedish songstress Noonie Bao and Walker’s signature synth progressions. Now, India’s electronica scene ambassadors, Lost Stories, have remixed the track for a smoother feel and more climactic drops.

The producers are also going to give the remix away as a free download after it crosses 200 K views on Facebook, the only place
BOOM •

Bat Infestation Video From Florida Falsely Shared As Coronavirus Source Found | BOOM

A three minute video from Florida, USA of a bat infestation under a tiled roof is viral falsely claiming that the source of the novel Coronavirus in Hubei, China has been found.

The video dates back to July 2011 and shows workers with gloved hands removing the tiling of an old roof to reveal hundreds of bats flying from under every tile panel.

As the contractors continue to move from panel to panel to reveal a heavy bat infestation, cinematic music accompanies the visuals, masking any dialogue
BOOM •

No, Video Does Not Show Street Vendors Evicted Before Trump's Gujarat Visit

A video of an eviction drive from Odisha is being falsely shared as street side hawkers in Gujarat being evicted in preparation for the visit of US President Donald Trump's visit to the state on February 24.

The video follows an excavator demolishing fruit and carts as officials oversee the whole process. Many carts are then wheeled towards the excavator which goes on to crush them turn by turn.

The video is being shared with the caption, "Don't the poor have a right to live in this country un
Festival Sherpa •

REVIEW: The Heady Affair That Was The Pune Debut of Tapped Festival!

The Sunday day out was the perfect kickback with booze, food and live music!

For its third edition, Tapped – the craft beer and food festival from Bombay– moved to its neighbour city, and Puneites had high hops to indulge in what had been brewing. The one day extravaganza boasted artisanal beer from over eight breweries across Mumbai and Pune, ten food stalls curated by Little Food Co. apart from a drinking games arena and multiple musical acts.

With some of Mumbai’s finest (Brewbot and Gatew
BOOM •

Yogi Who Went Into Meditative State 300 Years Ago Found Alive? A FactCheck | BOOM

A video of a man with an aggravated case of psoriasis from Kazakhstan is being shared over WhatsApp and social media in India as a yogi in a transcendent, meditative state for 300 years who was found alive after digging around a temple.

The graphic video shows a man in a haggard state covered with mud, blood and several sores oozing with fluid, laying in a hospital bed. The age or ethnicity of the man is barely identifiable from the video, however when asked his name in aa foreign language his
Festival Sherpa •

Kumail Launches New EP From You To Blue!

The 23 year old Mumbai producer will perform the new EP with a live band for the first time!

After two well-received EPs and 2016’s full length debut Links, Kumail Hamid, has released his third EP From You To Blue on indie label Knowmad Records. While the live EP Launch takes place on the 24th of March at antiSOCIAL, Khar, Mumbai, the EP releases across online platforms today! One of the Indian indie music scene’s favourite beat makers, Kumail, will be performing with a live band, which involve
Festival Sherpa •

Naezy Becomes First Artist To Release New Single Through Saavn's 'Artist Originals' Program

Mumbai Based Rapper Naezy dropped “Azaad Hu Mai” – an ode to freedom and the responsibility of making the right choices that comes with it, in collaboration with music streaming app Saavn.

The underground hip-hop scene is kicking off with a bang in 2017, with both Mumbai rappers, Divine and Naezy, dropping singles in the last couple of weeks, apart from new music from other Indian rappers and hip hop crews such as Swadesi and MC Mawali. “Azaad Hu Mai” sees Naezy address those who dare to challe
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