Rediscovering Indian classical music: the rise of 'baithaks' in modern homes

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Flautist Pandit Ajay Prasanna and Pandit Abhishek Mishra on the Table Disconnect in Delhi at night. Summary music lovers keep ‘Baithaks’ in an intimate environments to promote Indian classical music forms and bring financial viability to artists Hindustani classic singer Ronkini Gupta Sing Ae Ri Aali Piya Bin, a Rag Yaman Bandish, and then explains it to the hearing of about 40 in an elegant living room in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj. Raag’s Bandish (song) is typically sung against language, or a 16-holding cycle, and is taught to students of Hindustani classical music with Raag Bhairav, A Morning Raag. Since Raag’s is set in Prahar, or a 24 -hour period is divided into eight segments, students are taught a variety of rags according to the time of day. “It’s another matter that can give you a lifetime to explore each black (note) in just one rag,” Gupta explains. Accompanied by Ashish Ragwani on Table and Deepak Avinash Marathe on the Harmonium, she demonstrates a rare experiment to convert a 16-beat cycle into a 7-beat cycle or rupak language. “It’s radical and brave to do it,” someone whispered in the audience. All the time, Sukanya Banerjee and Tejaas Jaishankar, co-founders from above, an Indian classic music Baithak brand, are busy in the kitchen or the management of their dog take and Goku. It is not uncommon to hear Woofs of approval and see enthusiastic tail blades during the performance, while the dogs wander around, whereby people can pet them. The audience, most of which sits on the floor, is in the 20-60 age group. Some came to children as young as five or six. Music Baithaks, or intimate gatherings and performances offered in homes, hold a long, uninterrupted history in India. Business sentences and in earlier Eras, nobility and royalty, who were patrons of the performing arts, invited musicians from all over the country to Baithaks at home. Musicians still remember the private music that Baithaks through the Shrirams who started in the evening and continued past midnight. The Shrirams, a prominent family of industrialists in New Delhi, built cultural and educational institutions such as the Shriram Center for Performing Arts, Shri Ram Bhartiya Kendra and the Kamani Auditorium in the 1950s-70s. There are stories of Baithaks and Mehfils where endless types of homemade snacks, Masala milk and Chai were laid out, with the musicians served in silver plates. Stories abound from singers singing to Dawn, start with a late evening raging and passing to an early morning. Baithaks is even immortalized in the film – which Satyajit Ray’s Jalsaghar (1958) can forget about a Zamindar who has intimate musical soires in his palatial haveli, despite his declining wealth? Baithaks offered by wealthy patrons continue, but now there are also tickets to know people with classical forms of music. The upper floor, which started about eight years ago, is clearly in the intention: to bring financial viability to Indian classical musicians. Creating a culture of a new, paying audience is the only way to promote Indian classical musicians, says Banerjee. ‘We wanted to build an interactive community in a non-intimidating environment; hence the tickets rather than looking for sponsors. ‘ Chitkala Sharma, co-promoter, Naada Bindu, an organization in Bengaluru that started a year ago, hosts Carnatic and Hindustani classic music concerts in a home setup, as the promoters believe that the presentations were limited to temples and halls only. “Intimate setups like Baithaks are rare for Carnatic Music, and we wanted to provide an exciting experience without any sound reinforcement,” says Sharma. ‘In a microphone environment, we can experience music and appreciate the nuances. There is no acoustic modification using any technology. The audience can not only listen to music but also discuss music with performers about dinner. ‘ Naada Bindu has a complete calendar until May 2026. These initiatives usually offer one two baithaks each month with tickets ranging from £ 1,500-3,000 per person. Many have created online forums, subscription models and community groups to facilitate communication. Pune-based Vidushi Anuradha Kuber, a proponent of Bhendibazar Gharana, who is regularly invited to perform at Kamer Conserts, credit social media for the traction for such opportunities. According to her, an intimate institution lends itself very naturally to ‘pure Khayal sanget’ or rudely that is traditionally sung in a ‘chamber format’. Kuber recently acted for Kalavadhan, a three-year-old Pune organization, which was started by Saumitra Kshirsagar, a leading harmonium artist who also works on digitization and archiving of Hindustani classical music. Kshirsagar recently started a series of Mehfils in a Lecdem format, where stalwarts explain the details of a rag, Gharana and the overall Peshkash or presentation. It is the desire to offer an intimate Baithak that Tanvi Singh Bhatia has urged to plan Ghar, who will start next month, and offer classic singers and dancers in her living room in Delhi with no more than 25-30 people. Bhatia is known as the co-founder of Ibtida: I Mehfil, who organizes Pan-India shows by artists and musicians from the film and music industry. One cannot talk about Baithaks without naming the veteran Sitar Exponent Pandit Arvind Parikh, who has arranged Baithaks in his home in Mumbai since 2014, and some of the biggest names in classical music, including Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Begum Parveen Sultana and Ustad Shujaat Khan. It is considered one of the most sought after Baithaks to act or be invited, and it is a merger of the conversation with the artist, tips and techniques and the presentation of different rags. Parikh’s Baithaks, uploaded to YouTube, is a reservoir of information for music students and enthusiasts. About two years ago, in Mumbai, Rajiv Sethi and his wife Sarika renovated their living room to improve acoustics and install a full -fledged sound system for Baithaks. Sethi, who is founder and chairman of Gemini Group or Companies who have interests in infrastructure and engineering equipment and services, say these Baithaks are only free but free. The idea arose when the Sethis traveled to New York a few years ago for a weekend to listen to singer Dhruv Sangari. “The Baithaks in our home have begun from my own quest to listen to other voices other than Bollywood music,” says Sethi. Two months ago, Mokshi Sethi and her husband Rohan Chawla Sur Malhaar Baithaks started in their living room in Delhi. This is evident from the need for an execution room for classical musicians. “It’s the stage I would like someone to create for me as an artist,” says Sethi, who has been learning classical music for the past 20 years. While Chawla is an advocate in the Delhi High Court, Sethi is an independent graphic designer, video editor and music teacher. Similarly, for the husband-wife duo Soumya and Varun (they prefer to use their first names), who work in the IT sector in Delhi, the evenings of the evenings started as an initiative to promote classical music two months ago, so that their two-and-a-half-year-old toddler could have the same exposure to classical music during the big. In Gurugram, Naadyatra House Baithaks began because founder Sangeta Chopra felt that there was a void in the cultural scene. “The audiences are not necessarily seasoned listeners, but an intimate environment makes it possible for comfort and comfort,” said Chopra, an executive coach at a company in Chennai. Restaurants also experiment with Hindustani classical music. Bharat Lal Seth, who runs Mansoori Baithak for Qawali music in his home in Vasant Vihar, Delhi, remembers attending a Sarangi resistance by Kamal Sabri, two years ago in Depot 48, a Delhi restaurant that promotes indie and classical music. Recently, the restaurant, with a whole floor for ticket shows, offered a Dhrupad resort. Depot 48 offers two pure classic presentations each month; The idea arising from the Baithaks offered by the promoters at home. “It’s part of a larger continuum we built in 11 years, where traditional and contemporary music sits side by side in a venue listening,” says co-promoter Girjashanker Vohra, who includes a full calendar of music events with co-founder Vikas Narula. “There is curiosity among people about classical music and Baithaks takes care of that artistic energy exchange in an intimate environment. The presentation of original music, the ‘wah wah’ that makes an artist even more humble and confident … it’s precious,” says Gupta. Mokshi Sethi remembers that a guest told her that he did not touch his phone for the two hours that he was there, and preferred to soak in the music. Now, this is music’s way of healing. Abhilasha Ojha is an arts and cultural writer in Delhi. She acted independently in Depot 48 in her capacity as an artist. Catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Features Read Next Story