E-Paper
Padma Shri Malini Awasthi celebrates monsoon music at intimate Delhi baithaki
Folk singer Malini Awasthi hosted an intimate baithaki at Travancore Palace, Delhi, celebrating monsoon music with thumri, kajri, dadra, ghazal and Awadhi folk.
Friday evening saw Delhi drenched in incessant rain, which set the perfect mood for a musical evening steeped in romance and nostalgia. An intimate baithaki led by Padma Shri Malini Awasthi at Travancore Palace, New Delhi, brought the focus back to the more personal tradition of sharing music. Jewellery designer-actor Riddhima Kapoor Sahni was the guest of honour for the evening.
Setting the mood for the evening, Awasthi said, “We take the blessings of the monsoon, and the music we’re presenting to you today is also soaked in that rain.”
She opened with the thumri Ab Ke Sawan Piya Ki Khabar, performing alongside a team of musicians — Pandit Dharmnath Mishra, Ustad Murad Ali Khan, Ustad Athhar Hussain, Sachin Kumar, Amit and Subhan. The performance moved through kajri, dadra, ghazal and Awadhi folk compositions.
Speaking about the intimacy of the baithaki setting, Awasthi added, “Singing and music are about a conversation. We say something to you, and you respond to us. We understand that the message has reached you,” contrasting the experience with large-format concerts, where that exchange can sometimes get lost.
