Tracing the growing popularity of mehfils and ghazal baithaks among Gen Z

Aanchal Shrivastava (right) and Divya Batra (left) note that 90 per cent of their audience is those who have not experienced a mehfil because they have not been exposed to it

Imagine a small stage, no crowds, or smoke machines - just a small group of poetry and qawwali enthusiasts sitting around, waiting for a sarangi to begin. This setting could have people visualising a crowd that is in their forties, fifties, or older. But they would be wrong, because twenty-somethings are now regulars at modern-day mehfils and baithaks. This isn't nostalgia, though, instead, a craving for something analogue in a digital world.

"There's too much chaos in modern-day music," says Sanya Gupta, an architect, who got hooked to ghazals in 2017 when she was in Standard 10. It was a hot afternoon when Jagjit Singh's Koi Fariyaad was playing on the radio. "It was so hot, and I sat there visualising this song as it played… I don't know how, but there was this coolness and calm that came over me," describes Gupta. It prompted her to explore more of Jagjit Singh's music and cemented a love for ghazals. Now her favourite artists also include Talat Aziz and Rekha Bhardwaj's contemporary ghazals.

Sanya Gupta, an architect, who was hooked to ghazals in 2017 when she was just 15 years old, believes that there's too much chaos in modern-day music

"There is a bit of a romantic vibe in ghazals. The slowness and the stillness of these songs are what I enjoy, it makes me feel calm. And, you also need a lot of patience to listen to them, understand them… that has changed something inside me, too," she adds. Gen Z artistes like the 24-year-old tabla virtuoso and visionary artiste, Ishaan Ghosh, too, are leading the change and preserving classical arts through their practice and performance.

Ghosh has performed across 160 cities, yet remains grounded in the lineage of his father and guru, Pandit Nayan Ghosh. "With my roots, I cannot compromise on tradition. I am a classical musician out and out," he says, adding that, "Classical music has all the elements to attract anyone. People just have to allow themselves to witness it. When an artiste is performing it live, it is 80 per cent improvised, so it's as contemporary as it gets."

Meanwhile, grassroots platforms like Mehfil-e-Ishq are reimagining the traditional mehfil for today's cultural palate. Think intimate settings, floral décor - all wrapped around a meticulously curated performance. "Mehfils and baithaks have always existed, but they are making a comeback because we all want earthy, real things now. This connection with roots takes audiences back in time," say Aanchal Shrivastava and Divya Batra, who are founders of Mehfil-e-Ishq.

24-year-old tabla virtuoso and visionary artiste Ishaan Ghosh, has performed across 160 cities, yet remains grounded in the lineage of his father and guru, Pandit Nayan Ghosh

The two have been organising mehfils across India and say that their gatherings primarily see 25 to 55-year-olds, and always have repeats. "I think 90 per cent of our audience is those who have not experienced a mehfil because they have not been exposed to it.

For the younger audience, the DJ gigs, musicians performing at venues like Jio Garden have always been more accessible," say Shrivastava and Batra. And add that the response from younger audiences is usually one of emotional liberation. "They just cry…they are speechless. I don't know what that means exactly, but they always feel emotional," says Shrivastava.

Ghosh says, "There's a simultaneous rise of talented young musicians who are becoming the face of this music. Along with that, I think there is a growing sense of pride in our culture." Gupta adds "When I first heard ghazals, I used to listen for the melody, now as I mature, I truly understand them."