The scent of jasmine hung lightly in the air. Soft golden lights glimmered off silk dupattas and sherwanis. This wasn’t just another evening in the city, it was an invitation to step back in time.
The ballroom of The Leela Hyderabad had transformed into a Mughal-era baithak, where classical music reigned supreme and every note felt like a whisper from the past. On stage, with quiet grace and unmatched mastery, sat the legendary Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan. The mood shifted the moment his fingers brushed the strings of the sitar. This wasn’t a concert in the conventional sense. It was a mehfil — intimate, immersive, and steeped in tehzeeb. Curated by Ibtida Ek Mehfil, the evening was a deliberate attempt to revive the lost art of baithaks — spaces where music isn’t merely performed, but experienced. “A baithak is about emotion, not just entertainment,” shared Tanvi Singh and Anubhav Jain, founders of Ibtida, adding, “It’s about slowing down and letting the music breathe. Here, the artist and audience aren’t separated, they’re part of one shared journey.” The soul-stirring repertoire included Chaap Tilak, O Palan Ha Re, Tmhare Shehar Ka Mausam, Zindagi Se Badi Saza Hi Nahi, Raat Kat Ti Nahin, Din Guzarte Nahin, and Khamosh Lab Hai Jhuki Hai Palke. Each song carried with it a memory, a mood, a piece of history. The audience, dressed in elegant ethnic wear, swayed softly, some closing their eyes as if to hold the music a little longer.