Brooklyn Baithak at Jalopy Theatre

On August 9th, Brooklyn Baithak hosted its annual showcase at the Jalopy Theatre, continuing its mission of blending raga-based traditions with accessibility and collaboration. Rather than presenting music as isolated performances, the sold-out event unfolded as a demonstration of how South Asian classical forms can be shared in community-centered contexts (Performance brochure linked here). Two themes stood out across the evening: instrumental collaboration and audience engagement.

 Instrumental Collaboration

One of the most striking features of the showcase was the diverse array of musicians and dance artists. An exceptional trio featured Shraman on the sitar, Milan on the tabla, and Sahel on the rubab, playing with the different sound aesthetics of both Afghan and Hindustani music, particularly through performing the Afghan song Anar Anar, which was also adapted for the Indian film Paakizah. The instrumental improvisation and exploration of different styles of music was educational, beautiful to hear, and emblematic of Baithak’s broader framework of collaborating with various artists.

Collaboration also shaped another Carnatic-focused set, where the music and dance were used for an exploration of the Raga Yaman/Yamankalyani. The electric keyboard, played by Shiva, was a refreshing addition to Krishna Nee Begane, a 15th-century Carnatic composition by Vyasatirtha, followed by Bhavayami Gopalabalam, a composition of Annamacharya. The abhinaya, or facial expressions, of Sneha seemed to be stylistically less restrained than other bharatanatyam performances. Radhika’s delicate and compelling renditions of both highly popular songs were complimented by Shiva and Dhruv on the keyboard and mridangam.

The finale of the evening also effectively used instrumentation to bring out the essence of selected compositions: beginning with Chinanjiru Kiliye, a famous Bharathiyar composition in Tamil, Swati and Shiva delivered a soulful and peaceful rendition of the song, using the keyboard as the sole background instrumental. The group followed with Lalgudi G. Jayaraman’s Desh Thillana, which began with an energizing mridangam solo from Dhruv, highlighting his musical strengths and ability to engage a crowd. 

Rock also entered the mix as another form of instrumental collaboration. With Manoj on vocals, one performance started with a calming rendition of Yoon Shabnami and ended with rock adaptations of Roja’s title song and Albela Sajan. The range of tempos and arrangements illustrated how instruments more commonly associated with Western genres can be incorporated into South Asian repertoire, creating something both familiar and experimental.

 Audience Engagement

If instrumental collaboration drove much of the evening’s texture, audience engagement determined its tone. A rare presentation of a Bengali song by Rabindranath Tagore was made especially meaningful when Niha explained the lyrics beforehand — a callback to ‘Brooklyn Baithak: Community and Culture' where Baithak tries to be more inclusive for the audience. The set ended with a Yaman raga-based mashup of Qawwalis and old-school Bollywood: understanding your audience is key, and this group kept the audience engaged with their balanced mix of well-known and lesser-known songs.

One ghazal segment offered a different model of engagement: slower, more deliberate, yet equally effective. The blend of Jasmeet’s and Shankara’s distinct vocals in Husn Ko Chand (by Vimal V., written by Qateel Shifai) brought interesting variation to the song. The minimal instrumentals, along with the deliberate and repetitive nature of ghazals, allowed the audience to fully appreciate Shankara’s skilful singing, focus on the lyrics, and appreciate the interplay between the tabla and harmonium. 

Other groups brought in the audience through energy and familiarity. The Tamil piece Madu Meikkum Kanne, by Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi, was presented by Swati and Dhruva, who simultaneously sang and performed bharatanatyam, as they presented a lively conversation between Yashoda and Krishna. Mudras, or hand gestures, and their abhinaya, or facial expressions, gave the audience visual cues that deepened their understanding of the lyrics. Across the evening, engagement was achieved in different ways — through explanation, intimacy, humor, and visual storytelling.

The showcase at Jalopy Theatre highlighted Brooklyn Baithak’s key guiding principles of artist collaboration, experimentation, and in-depth exploration of raga-based music. The artists not only presented their existing craft, but worked with others to form groups and create something new. Going forward, the event could benefit from tighter time management and more seating capacity, especially given the growing audience pull Brooklyn Baithak has developed. The stage set-up as a whole was well done from an audience perspective, especially given that it had to be changed for every new group of instruments. The featured artists maintained a high bar and left lasting impressions on the audience, and an interest to see more such events in the future. 

Editorial note: We are retaining US spelling conventions for Line & Verse