The periwinkle flower—a hardy, perennial blooming beauty—is referred to as Barahmasi in Malwi. This is how Kanakshree and Savni Bhatt, musicians from Madhya Pradesh, have always known and recognised it. When the time came to name their ambitious performance-cum-presentation, the vocalists naturally thought of the flower; it was ideal to represent the dozen forms they’d bring to audiences, which are traditionally sung through the year, or to mark specific seasons and festivals.

At its heart, Barahmasi was born out of a need to conceptualise something novel and new. “We observed that though countless musicians perform classical music each week, the curation of a performance that would cover different forms in a limited amount of time didn’t exist,” says Savni, “We wanted the attendees to walk away with an experience that had exposed them to as many traditions as was possible.” The result, adds Kanakshree, is a thaali or plateful of 12 musical offerings—including jhoola, tappa (originated in Punjab), chaiti, and an original hori (a genre popular in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh) by Savni.