The mehfil makes a comeback Inviting classical musicians to perform at ‘home concerts’ to celebrate festivals and anniversaries is catching on in mumbai

The mehfil makes a comeback

Inviting classical musicians to perform at ‘home concerts’ to celebrate festivals and anniversaries is catching on in mumbai

The rustle of silk, the fragrance of jasmine and incense sticks lit at the wall-mounted altar, mixed with the quaint odour of fried onions from the kitchen. The artiste clears her throat to sing the first note, even as besan-batter sizzles in the boiling oil and a voice calls out, “Don’t take your bicycle out of the building compound!” This is a morning music concert at a gated upmarket colony in Borivali East at the Dholakia household. “Uttarayan or Sankrant is a big festival for the Gujarati community. We decided to do something different from the annual kites-and-undhiyo routine, so we planned this semi-classical concert at home,” says Arvindbhai Dholakia, 49, a textile wholesaler. “We have invited the extended family and the neighbours. It makes the elders also feel like they are part of the celebrations, and the children will get to know that there is music beyond Kolaveri,” laughs his wife Mitaben, 45, as she serves tea to the artiste and his accompanists. Elsewhere in the city, in Ghodbunder, Aruna Tipnis had a concert last week to mark her mother Suniti Khatavkar’s death anniversary. “Instead of a ritual where we keep food for the crows, I felt that we could play the music she was so passionate about. This makes us feel her presence,” she tells DNA, adding that “we asked the artist to keep devotional Lord Krishna compositions as the theme, since those were her favourites.” Accordingly, the Kirana gharana singer Vibhavari Bandhavkar, 55, chose compositions in Charukeshi and Jaunpuri ragas, followed by a traditional folk chaiti. The Dholakia and Tipnis families are just a couple of examples. Breach Candy or Bhuleshwar, Borivali or Bhandup, people are choosing to have small ‘home concerts’ or mehfils to mark birthdays, anniversaries and festivals. While audiences clearly want more mehfils, what is this like for a musician who is accustomed to performing on stage? “It is a challenge to be able to sing without a mike or sound system. But this can provide a platform for artistes to show their tayyari in terms of reaching out to every person in a crowd of 50-60 people,” Bandhavakar tells DNA. “For me, this is a bonus because I can connect with the audience sitting across. A flick of the hand, a nod, or an appreciative ‘wah’ can encourage the artiste to do better. I think these small mehfils are a win-win for both listeners and artistes.” Senior vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, Shruti Sadolikar, agrees. “It’s a good thing that these mehfils of yore are making a comeback. The informal setting and the interaction it allows due to proximity mean that there can be direct feedback and the artiste can demonstrate and educate the audience on finer nuances of his/her repertoire.” According to her, these mehfils will also help propagate a traditional art by taking it to children in their homes. It is no wonder that vocalists score over instrumentalists on the ‘home concert’ circuit. “This could have something to do with the vocalists’ flexibility with their repertories, which they can play around with to suit the audiences and their response. With instrumentalists, you need a finer, more clued-in audience,” explains flautist Rupak Kukarni, 43. But doesn’t the artiste’s fee make the mehfil a costly affair? “You can always find someone to suit your pocket,” Dholakia says. “It is my dream to get Pt Jasraj to sing haveli bhajans. But just the thought of how much that will cost makes me think twice. Musicians who’ve come home have gotten to know our family, and they refuse to quote a sum. I usually give the singer Rs10,000 and the accompanists on the tabla and harmonium Rs 5,000 each.” Considering that top artistes demand between Rs1-1.5 lakh for a home concert, it is no surprise that some of the top Marwari-Gujarati businessmen are patrons. “Paying anything less would not behove their reputations,” says a senior classical vocalist. “Some patrons get competitive about these events - who they called, how they arranged it, and what it cost can be talked about in the juiciest detail for months on end.” Carnatic legend Balamurali Krishnan, who visited Mumbai this week, warns against precisely this kind of chatter. “Concerts, big or small, should bring in audiences for the love of music and not out of the desire to gossip about it later. This will not help further the art.”