INSIDE THE CITY'S GROWING BAITHAK CULTURE

Some of Delhi's most meaningful performances now unfold on sofas and rugs, as intimate ticketed baithaks mark a gentle renaissance for classical music

- Medha Shri Dahiya

On a night when rain poured in sheets, my husband and I braved Delhi's gridlock and the notorious parking hunt to reach a stranger's home. We had, in fact, paid to be there. Inside, about 40 people sat cross-legged on rugs as a young sitarist tuned her instrument, joined by a tabla player. No velvet curtains, no stage lights, no professional sound system. Yet, as the music began, a stranger's living room instantly felt like home.

Baithaks, intimate and hyper-local ticketed concerts held in homes, are quietly reshaping Delhi's cultural landscape. For many millennials, they are both a throwback to childhood memories of baithaks at grandparents' homes and a new experiment in intimacy in a city crowded with strangers.

In Vasant Kunj, Sukanya Banerjee and Tejas Jaishanka began hosting baithaks in May under the name Upstairs with Us. "We wanted to create a space where people could appreciate classical music without feeling intimidated," says Sukanya, a vocalist who quit her teaching job last year. To keep it sustainable, they charge a modest fee and cook dinner for everyone. Sukanya is now training other music lovers to start their own home concerts.