Q-Tube: A space where artistes can perform, people can socialise over free coffee!

Nathan DMello and Aldrin Fernandez perform vintage English Jazz Rock and Blues numbers PicsSneha KharabeIt sounds too good to be true So we stop by and pay a visit Located along the lines of a furniture store a grill workshop and an outdoor accessory store one canrsquot miss QTube and its red blue and white railway stationstyle signboard The transparent glass windows show off a coffee shop musical instruments a colourful library and sockets to plug in your gadgetsThe space makes for an apt place to work and unwind tooLess than a month old QTube is the brainchild of Natural Streets for Performing Arts Foundation NSPA and an asset management company that supports them to create a space where artists can perform and people can socialise work and chill All for freeRajeshwari Sengar and Rohan Rawat sing Indi Pop fusion and 90s English tracksIt has been pouring all day and wersquove been feeling under the weather with the gloom Having heard them on railway platforms Metro stations and promenades across 25 locations the familiarity of the yellow tees the strumming of an electric guitar and a soulful voice accompanied by a musician tapping away the Cajun box is uplifting A few chairs are occupied we find a table that gives us a birdrsquos eye view of the spaceSinger Abhishek Chaple and musician Rahul Bakshi set the mood with their original compositions In between they take breaks to discuss the tempo the mic placement and shoot for NSPArsquos YouTube channelThe vibe is lively and welcoming The space is divided in three sections mdash the ground and mezzanine floors are offices that belong to NSPA and Quantum who supported and funded NSPA since they set up in 2012 There is a small stage for artistes The rest is a 25seater cafeacute that serves only coffee no food Colourful shelves that line a wall offer food for thought There are board games like chess A Game of Trade mdash Business Jenga and Scrabble as wellAmong book titles from A Short History of the World to The Little Book of the Shrinking Dollar and Lords of Finance we pick up 1000 Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask Yourself by Alyss Thomas and go back to our table The first question in the book is What do I really want Good question As if reading the same paragraph the singer croons ldquoAnjani raho mein mein khud uljha hoon baaton mein kho gayardquoSo wersquore not the only ones who are confused We open up our laptop and before we begin to fumble for the WiFi password a staff member walks over and takes us through the steps We get good WiFi for the next two hoursWithin 10 minutes a sprightly girl walks up to our table and asks in a whisper ldquoWould you care for some coffeerdquo We nod requesting one without sugar She takes note and walks away with a smileWhile we are racing to meet a deadline the music aids our pace As the tempo rises the keys type faster and stopping to clap after every song is a stress release too We could get used to this We love the detailing in the deacutecor with a Beetles clock a frame with a hand drawn map of Bombay and practical offerings of hand sanitisers and a water filter The wall opposite the library has a long table jutting out and sockets at regular intervals are a sign itrsquos open to professionals wiring in While gigs are scheduled from 4 pm to 8 pm the rest of the day is workfriendlyWhen itrsquos time to leave we bump into Jessica Noronha NSPA project coordinator who tells us it is a conscious effort to not serve any food ldquoWe donrsquot want commercials involved NSPA artistes are paid 1200 per gig but other artistes will not be paid though they get the space at no cost We are open to people who want to conduct workshopsrdquo she tells us But how do you make money to sustain ldquoWe are not making anyrdquo she smilesFinally Mumbai gets a space that makes the arts accessible It is ideal for a short meetup casual chat and a platform for artistes to showcase their talent Since an asset management company backs them wersquore sure they have thought it through