Baithaks are back, and even masks can't muffle the joy of live music

Virtual wahs may have tried to fill the vacuum in the lives of artists but they’re happy to make a slow return to the stage

- Malini Nair

The collective ‘wah!’ came out rather muffled through the layers of three-ply masks. And everyone was distanced, temperature-checked, and sanitized. But even the grim rituals of a pandemic could not kill the exhilaration of a baithak.

After eight painful months of isolation, a small knot of music lovers had gathered to hear Wasifuddin Dagar sing dhrupad at the home of sitarist Shubhendra Rao and cellist wife Saskia in Delhi. ‘Unlock the Music’, a ticketed live — and streamed — monthly concert is a tentative attempt to bring back the joy of live music into our lives.

“This music is meant to be offered directly to people, it needs their energy,” says Shubhendra Rao, whose family had been hit by the virus a month ago. For Dagar, this was a life-affirming event. “I need to look into the eyes of my listeners, see the questions there, and get inspired. A phone camera does not do it.”