The perfect ambience for music, story-telling, dining, sharing anecdotes, socialising with like-minded people. Such a musical storytelling event was held by the Baithak Commune, an independent group of like-minded artists, storytellers and poets, at Social in Sector 7, Chandigarh. Three artists, Jaipur-based Satvik Sakar, Danny Ke Dose from Delhi and Tricity-based Simit Ahuja, came together for the one-of-a-kind event.
Their performances were original compositions depicting their own stories that revolved around first loves, heartbreaks and life in general. The musicians had the audience hooked to their verses and storytelling as they performed their heart out. The musical evening was hosted by poet Rishab Prashar who introduced the artists – singers and composers.
Satvik Sakar, who is also one of the founders of Baithak Commune, elucidated to the audience how the event came about.
Speaking about his journey, he said, “My experience in Mumbai and its culture gave me a glimpse of how well artists are treated in the city”. In 2018, as Sakar went back home to Jaipur he wished to create a similar culture. While open mics had become extremely popular back then in metros, in tier two cities these kinds of events usually meant that artists were shelling out money to be able to perform at spaces which hosted these events.
“Where artists should be getting paid, they were the ones paying instead,” says Sakar, adding that he and his partner started doing house gigs and that eventually led to Baithak Commune, a way to promote artists and local talent and get like-minded people together. He further adds, “People started falling in love with the idea because it wasn’t just about the gig, it was about how strangers can feel vulnerable at the same time and can express their emotions without the fear of being judged.”
The evening kicked off with Danny Ke Dose’s performance with him telling the story behind his name and beginning with a song about crushes.
This was followed by Simit Ahuja’s soulful act which also had audience participation. The final act of the evening was by Satvik Sakar who kept the audience regaled with narratives on love and desire. The event which centred on the idea of bringing back the human connection through storytelling was brought to a close by Sakar’s heartfelt performance.
Dr Navreet Kaur, who is the Punjab head of Baithak Commune, said that a similar event in Ludhiana will take place on Sunday. It was during her travels across India that Dr Navreet came across musical events which inspired her to bring the same to Punjab where such events were a rarity. The Chandigarh event was the first event of Baithak Commune in Punjab which will be followed by the Ludhiana gig.
