Living room kutcheris, terrace baithaks bring art aficionados together

Music and dance have always been an intrinsic part of Bengaluru’s vibe. While the city’s rampant modernisation has ensured the city has become one among the most cosmopolitan cities, with skyscrapers galore adorning the fast expanding cityscapes, people in the city are trying to ensure they still remain rooted to their culture. While it isn’t feasible for everyone to head to the concerts in the hotspots all the time, some of the enterprising culture-preneurs have ensured that the concerts are brought to the homes to get people appreciating music.
From monthly kutcheris and concerts in the living rooms featuring musicians from across the country to terrace baithaks that have both professional and amateur singers paying tribute to legends on birthdays, Bengaluru never ceases to give the culturally inclined avenues to go out and soak in some music and dance.
Childhood memories revivedOne of the most active home kutcheri series in the city is that run by singer Gurupriya Atreya. The reason for her starting the music sessions in her living room was due to the strong foundation in music and home kutcheris that she was subjected to in her childhood by her mother. “I have vivid memories of my mother hosting musical sessions at home when I was young,” she says, adding, “These were held especially during festival times like Shivaratri and Navaratri. I’d always wanted to do something to revive that tradition. What began as a small experiment to see whether I would find people interested has transcended into something that has piqued the interest of many.” The kutcheri series will soon turn two and has had dancers featuring in it too. Vasu Dixit, who has also been part of many of these home concert series, also identifies with memories of growing up in a home where everyone sang and concerts at home were a regular fix. “I have fond memories of my mothers and aunts singing at home in these sessions,” he recalls.
Some film music too
It isn’t only classical movies that are on offer at these music events at terraces and living rooms. Some of these baithaks celebrate legends in the film industry and get people together to jam and sing the particular personality’s songs and share trivia. RJ-turned-filmmaker Mayuraa Raghavendra is one such person who organises baithaks with select music aficionados that celebrate legends.
“We usually have these nights that are informal gatherings with people who love and enjoy music. One such is usually held on AR Rahman’s birthday, since we all have grown up on his music and he has such a vast repertoire that ensures everyone just celebrates him. I’ve also organised these music evenings to celebrate another one of our favourites, playback singing legend SP Balasubramanyam sir,” he says. Mayuraa adds that, earlier, the intimate music evenings were in his living room, but he tried to do something different with a terrace baithak at one of his friend’s studio this time, with live musicians accompanying the singers.
Getting the real experience
Singer

Varijashree Venugopal

has been part of many baithaks and kutcheris, both as a participant and audience member. She says, “The baithak system has been there for a while as a concept, especially amongst the Hindustani musicians circle. Later, the concept moved to the Carnatic space as well with kutcheris in intimate spaces. I personally love the fact that these sessions exist, as they help preserve our culture and heritage. Another big reason for me to enjoy these sessions is that you get to hear the real sound of the voices as it is in a small space.”
Vasu also adds that these sessions help in educating children and also share information. “I love the fact that we can try out new songs and get real-time feedback and also get to share trivia and information about the songs we perform to these people," he points out.