Music concert at YK Antiques Home Museum
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Earlier this month, YK Antiques Home Museum in Hyderabad turned into a harmonious setting for a classical music concert/sangeet baithak. The 850 antiques in brass, copper, bronze and stone spread across the house reverberated as vocalist Sarang Phagre accompanied by Vivek Kayal on the tabla and Upkar Godboley on harmonium performed to just around 30 people gathered there. Sitting in his home-cum-museum, octogenarian YK Murthy recollects the baithak: “It was a mesmerizing experience for a small group of parents with children, music lovers and artist-friends. We know kings and zamindars could afford to host such sessions. That day, I felt like royalty.” Visual artist Shruti Mahajan residing in the city had conceptualised and facilitated this concert, as she had seen such baithaks organised regularly by her father and grandfather back home in Bhopal.
New avenue
Amit Nesarikar ‘s vocal performance; Vivek Kayal on tabla and
Rahul Deshpande on harmonium
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
This first-of-its-kind baithak/intimate concert at a home museum opens a new window for classical music performers and audience. Singer Keerti will take centre stage in the Museum’s second baithak in March 2025.
Artistes enjoy performing in such personalised, informal spaces as they connect better with a small group as they can see and interact with everyone beyond the front row! These baithaks or musical soirees for music, poetry, and mushaira have been a significant part of the tradition of Hindustani classical music presentations.
Engaging the rasikas
Carnatic music has also experimented with this format by holding concerts and engaging the rasikas inapartment complexes, sometimes in a cellar. K Sreenivasa Rao of Hope Advertising Private Limited had organised seven ‘Arunodaya’ sessions at his place and his friends’. As vocalists sit on chowkis (Bajot stools/tables), mics and cameras are arranged and the audience sits on mats spread on the floor.
Vocalists Jonnalagadda Satya Sriram, TK Sisters and Pratima Sasidhar and her disciples and their accompanists including A Kamakshi (violin), P Jaya Bhaskar (mridangam), M. Chandrakanth (ghatam), VSPG Sivani (violin), Ch. Ramakrishna (mridangam) and M Chandrakanth (ghatam) have performed at these two-hour morning concerts starting at 8 am, followed by breakfast. With an experience of organising virtual music concerts during the COVID-induced lockdown, Sreenivasa Rao says, “I am passionate about Carnatic music. The sound fills the space with positive energy and vibrations.”
Revival of a trend
Jonnalagadda Satya Sriram’s concert. Accompanying artists include A Kamakshi (violin), P Jaya Bhaskar (mridangam), M. Chandrakanth (ghatam)
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Auditoriums, heritage buildings, temples and step-wells have been prominent venues for musical gatherings in Hyderabad. So do baithaks mark a new beginning In the city’s cultural landscape? “Baithaks have been held in the city even earlier; now we are seeing a revival of that tradition,” affirms Vivek Kayal, a tabla player and employee of Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Vivek is one of the administrators of Hyderabad Baithaks, a group of artists and jaankaar srota (an informed audience).
Audience at YK Home Museum
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The idea, Vivek explains, is to enjoy music without any distractions and also respect artists and their performance. Formed in 2015 — inspired by 50-year-old city-based group Guruvar Mandal — Hyderabad Baithaks has had around 50 such sessions, including 15 in 2024. “Conversations in a baithak revolve around the artist, his/her guru and the riyaaz pattern. One gets to know in-depth about the artists.”
With the concerts taking place in such domestic settings, do interruptions, noisy children or small talk or disturb the artist? No, says Shruti. “The vocalist can adapt well to the space and the audience is genuinely attentive. In fact, these informal music sessions help establish a culture of listening among children. It’s also part of building a culture where children learn to conduct themselves during a music concert.”
Different venues
Musical concert organised by Tatvaa Arts
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
City-based Tatvaa Arts is well-known for conducting music concerts at unusual venues including parks, farmhouses and housing societies in Hitec City, Narsingi and Nallagandla. “Baithak mein jo daad milti hai, woh musicians ko bahut accha lagta hai (Musicians cherish the applause they get in a baithak),” says Akhilesh Washikar, managing director of Tatvaa Arts. Since their first baithak with sitar player Mehtab Ali Niazi at a farmhouse in Moinabad in 2021, the organisation has held around 25 baithaks to date.
Unlike the sound systems which aim for perfect acoustics for live music concerts in auditoriums, these intimate sessions are easily arranged, with basic mics and a small speaker set up, to ensure the sound does not disturb the neighbourhood.
The audience in a baithak is learned and passionate about music, says tabla player Gajendra Shawalkar and co-founder of Tatvaa. “Playing to a handful of people who listen intently creates a unique experience which needs to be celebrated.”
Anyone interested in organising baithaks can get in touch with Tatvaa Arts (86393 92699) and Hope Advertising (98480 40980)
Published – December 24, 2024 07:33 pm IST
