Eastern Fare Music Foundation

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Eastern Fare Music Foundation is a music school, a production house, and a publishing team based in Guwahati, Assam, with branches in Bangalore and Shillong. It was founded in 2007 by Jim Ankan Deka, who is the director. The institute offers training in Western classical music, Carnatic music, and contemporary styles, and its North East branches also provide dance and Indian classical music.

What it does
- Teaches instruments such as guitar (western and acoustic), piano, keyboard, and veena, as well as Carnatic vocal work.
- Prepares students for theory and practical examinations through Trinity Guildhall.
- Runs a music club with a library, a jam room, two semi-acoustic studios, and a discussion room (started in 2009).

Growth and people
- Started in Bangalore in 2007 and expanded to Guwahati and Shillong in 2016. It now has six branches across Karnataka, Assam, and Meghalaya, teaching more than a thousand students.
- Notable alumni and contributors include Anand Pilakkat, Suchin Ravi, Ankur Deka, and others who have gone on to work as composers, guitarists, and performers.

Festivals, media, and publishing
- Founded the Euphony music festival in 2009, a biannual event in Bangalore and Guwahati that features live performances, DJ nights, and a winter rock competition.
- Launched Music Malt Online Fest in 2013 to showcase music videos and works by musicians and filmmakers.
- ChaiTunes is a collaborative music project producing videos released online.
- Eastern Fare Productions creates music videos and films; it has produced documentaries such as Nagaland – journey through the choir of clouds and Shillong – a short documentary, and a short film titled Uninvited.
- Music Malt, originally EF News International, is a portal for music news and culture, started in 2011. Skrybble Web Studio, launched in 2011, offers web services and creative writing workshops. The Publishing House released its first book, Elandhu, in 2011.

Bands, philanthropy, and outreach
- The acoustic rock band Eastern Fare formed in 2009 with members including Jim Ankan Deka.
- Count Your Blessings, a philanthropic initiative, began in 2010 to support blood donations, education for underprivileged children, and visits to senior homes and orphanages.
- The North-East India community page on Facebook started in 2009, growing to tens of thousands of members. In 2012, Eastern Fare began the North-East Through My Eyes photo contest focusing on the region.

Location and contact
- Address: 14, Guwahati Refinery Link Road, Noonmati, Guwahati, Assam – 781020, along with branches in Bangalore and Shillong.
- Website: www.easternfare.in

Eastern Fare Music Foundation continues to blend education with production, publishing, and community projects to support musicians and artists across India’s north-east and beyond.