Indian Classical Music Baithak at Home (Live Performance + Dinner) — Summer Edition
DC Baithak's at-home concert series returns with an exciting new lineup of performers in a new neighborhood — while maintaining our roots in Indian Classical music.
We are warmly inviting you to a rare opportunity: an immersive atmosphere with world-class Indian classical musicians in a lovely living room, as it was intended and has been experienced for hundreds of years in South Asia.
This time, we'll have an innovative format featuring a sitar player alongside two tabla players.
Baithak in Hindi or Urdu comes from the word "sitting" — this will be a small, intimate music soiree where everyone is seated together on the floor, both artists and audience right next to one another.
In South Asian households, particularly across India and Pakistan, the baithak was more than a room — it was a ritual of gathering, a theatre of tradition. The baithak was a democratic space — informal yet steeped in etiquette, relaxed yet rich with nuance.
Classic Indian fare and chit chat around chaat to follow!
Baithak Program:
⟢Sitar: Snehesh Nag
⟢ Tabla: Mallar Goswami and Abhay Kulkarni
⟢ Opening: Bhavna Sivasubramanian, Carnatic vocalist; and Sameer Kadri, vocals
Snehesh Nag is an acclaimed sitarist, composer, and educator whose performances bridge centuries-old Hindustani traditions with contemporary musical expression. Trained under Pandit Sugato Nag and the legendary Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, he has performed across India, the United States, and Canada, collaborated with artists ranging from Pandit Anindo Chatterjee to the Princeton Symphony, and is a 2024 Strathmore Artist in Residence. @sneheshnag
Mallar Goswami is an accomplished tabla artist and dedicated educator from Kolkata, India, with over 20 years of teaching experience. He has worked as a percussionist on several audio albums, web series, and films. He is currently working on Doordarshan and many private TV shows. @tabla_lalji
Abhay Kulkarni, who started learning tabla at 4 and a half, has performed at prestigious events in India and the US including All India Radio annual Festival and Baroda Music Festival to name a few and accompanied luminaries such as Anupama Bhagwat & Alif Laila (Sitar), Abir Hossain (Sarod), Phil Scarff (Jazz Saxophone) and many more. @Abhay_kulkarni
Together, Snehesh, Mallar and Abhay will present a Hindustani classical music concert featuring soulful melodies, dynamic expression, spontaneous melodic and rhythmic conversation, and much more.
What's fascinating is that this music is almost entirely improvised—even the fixed compositions so.
Based on the concept of a raga, which is a melodic framework, the melodic instrument sets the mood that the chosen raga evokes, and then gradually moves towards interacting with the tabla through compositions and improv in spontaneous fashion, often resorting to things like call and responses, creating dialogue that keeps one on their toes.
This type of interaction is typically the hallmark of a Hindustani classical music concert and provides an engrossing and engaging experience for the audience.
The concert will have a duration of 1-2 hours and has an ambience similar to western chamber music. This type of concert, called a baithak, invites the audience to experience and interact with the music and the musicians in an intimate manner.
Important Details
— Light Indian Fare, chit chat and socializing to follow the Baithak! It's gonna be a long, fun evening together.
— Exact home location will be sent after the artist donation is provided. This is a small, intimate evening of friends and family. We will send the home address to all registered attendees 1 day before the DC Baithak.
Artist Donation: $45 via Venmo. https://venmo.com/u/Nihal-Krishan (Venmo is preferred but Zelle/Paypal options are also available at +1(516)754-0634 / nihalkrishan9@gmail.com)
Special thanks to Amar for opening up his lovely home to us.
Your Hosts,
Nihal, Jeannie, and Amar