Monica Dogra

I remember the day we were offered to go perform at the &Oslashya festival in Norway. It was as if a certain gust of magic had come our way and we were to visit the land of fairytales. When we first landed, I was in dire need of a shower. I recall running the taps, in a pristine white and glass hotel bathroom that was actually mid-range by Norwegian standards, putting my hands under the running water and shouting incredulously at my bandmates that the water felt like air It was so crisp, so light to touch, so clean, so unusually wonderful. The days that unfolded thereafter, included some of the most beautiful music, the most beautiful people, low-hanging clouds you could almost touch and connections with artists from all over the world... One in particular, who remains a friend to this day, is the great jazz musician Bugge Wesseltoft. Bugge invited us over to his home in Oslo, setting up what would end up being a five-hour-long meal, equipped with Norwegian delicacies like reindeer heart to Norwegian salmon and whale meat and drinks like Aquavit. I&rsquom a vegetarian now, but at that time I still ate fish. Though I shied away from the whale and the reindeer, my bandmates loved to cross the line into adventurous territories. Those were some of the most beautiful days. What a journey.