A music concert where words of Sufi poets are set to stirring music. And to make their creations more accessible to the audience, the vocalist engages in a conversation with them, discussing the nuances of the meaning of a nazm. The audience members then respond with their own interpretation of what they just heard, and so begins a dialogue that continues long after the performance. This may be unheard of in a proscenium set-up in large auditoria, but such intimate concerts are what a baithak is all about.

This immersive experience is what well-known Sufi vocalist Kavita Seth will take the audience through at the upcoming edition of Haroof, a baithak revival series, initiated and curated by Alleyah Asghar. Its aim is to promote Hindustani gayaki forms among audiences, often by giving a platform to a younger crop of musicians. "Having grown up in an environment where we would listen to qawwals sing all night [often at someone's residence], I realised the concept of baithaks was almost absent in Mumbai. Which is why the Haroof series seemed like an ideal match for my musical philosophy," says Seth, who won several awards for her song Iktara in Wake Up Sid (2009).