'Raag' in the living room

Music lovers are holding ticketed 'baithaks' to promote Indian classical music and enjoy concerts in intimate settings

- Abhilasha Ojha

Hindustani classical vocalist Ronkini Gupta sings Ae Ri Aali Piya Bin, a Raag Yaman bandish, and then explains it to the audience of about 40 gathered in an elegant living room in Vasant Kunj in Delhi.

Typically sung in teen taal, or a 16-beat cycle, this evening raag's bandish (song) is taught to students of Hindustani classical music along with Raag Bhairav, a morning raag.

Given that raags are set in prahar, or a period of 24 hours divided into eight segments, students are taught a variety of raags as per the time of the day.

"It's another matter that you can give a lifetime to exploring every swar (note) in just one raag," explains Gupta.

Accompanied by Ashish Ragwani on tabla and Deepak Avinash Marathe on the harmonium, she goes on to demonstrate a rare experiment of turning a 16-beat cycle into a 7-beat cycle or Rupak taal.

"It's radical and brave to be able to do that," someone in the audience whispers.

All the while, Sukanya Banerjee and Tejas Jaishankar, co-founders of Upstairs, an Indian classical music baithak brand, are busy either in the kitchen or managing their dogs Tookie and Goku.

It's not unusual to hear woofs of approval and see enthusiastic tail wags during the performance, as the dogs wander around, allowing people to pet them.

The audience, most of whom are sitting on the floor, is in the 20-60 age group.

Some have come with children as young as five or six.

Music baithaks, or intimate gatherings and performances hosted in homes, have a long, unbroken history in India.

Business families and, in earlier eras, nobility and royalty, who were patrons of the performing arts, invited musicians from all over the country for baithaks at home.

Musicians still recall the private music baithaks helmed by the Shrirams which started in the evening and continued way past midnight.