Home concert: How Mumbai's Living Room Kutcheri brings artists and audience closer

A previous session in Mumbai

The concert space is a well-furnished, spacious apartment in Bandra's Kalanagar neighbourhood. With only a security guard asking for our purpose of entry, there is no jostling or formality that one would expect at a gig as we head up to Rakesh Sharma's apartment. Come evening, the space will transform into a buzzing gathering titled Living Room Kutcheri (LRK). Furniture will be moved aside, snacks will be arranged for, as people sit down to listen, talk and engage with music.

"The more intimate a space gets, the closer you are to examining the art," explains Sharma, who has been hosting LRK sessions with partner Puneet Goenka since 2020. This could possibly be their last session before they move to London next month. "It takes you back to a time when great musicians were simply freed up to relax and perform in someone's home," he remarks. Think Ray's Jalsaghar with a Mumbai touch.

Vedanth Bharadwaj

The origin of the sessions dates back to Bengaluru in 2017 when curator Gurupriya Atreya founded it. "We wanted to blur the distance between the artistes and audience," Atreya reveals over the phone. She has hosted nearly 35 sessions of the kutcheri - a Tamil word for gathering - the term is a reference to Carnatic music concerts.

Inspired by the vibe of the Bengaluru sessions, Sharma brought it to Bandra in 2020. "Our first concern when we thought of hosting a session in Mumbai was whether people would come, and whether the artistes be comfortable." he shares.

Goenka and Sharma's living room space that transforms into the concert area

Not so for actor and singer MD Pallavi, who will be part of the evening's presentation, Songfarers at sea, alongside Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy and Vedanth Bharadwaj. For Pallavi, audience engagement is the key. "An intimate audience is more fertile with possibilities. It could either evoke something that leaves them curious or spark a conversation," she says.

The evening set will see her perform a one-piece concert with spoken verse poetry from the texts of Kabir, DR Bendre and Subramania Bharathi. "It is not just an arrangement of songs. It is a journey of three individuals - people who find themselves at sea - trying to negotiate their way through the ocean; whatever metaphor you may associate that with," Pallavi explains.

Gurupriya Atreya

The poetic, independent music form also suits the performance space. Sharma notes, "The idea is to focus on music that is not necessarily mainstream. Also, if you have a chance to understand why an artiste is doing what they are doing, you must consider yourself blessed with a gift."

Yet, a change is in the offing. Atreya admits that the concept is set to evolve. "The plan is to take it to more cities. We are yet to make plans concrete, but it is certainly the next step," she says. With details to be finalised by September, future sessions might see empanelled members play host across multiple cities. With Sharma moving away, the Mumbai sessions will also change. "There are four members who are already willing to take on the hosting duties," Atreya reveals.

(From left) MD Pallavi, Puneet Goenka and Rakesh Sharma. Pics/Shadab Khan

There is an economic side to this template, too. Till now, the hosts would pass the hat around post events for voluntary contributions. The future might now see ticketing options. "We do prepare snacks and coffee for the guests. When someone does not turn up, it can be an expense," she notes.

For Sharma though, it is a part of the experience. "I will miss the community of musicians and listeners who come together with the sole intention of engaging with music. That is rare, and we hope to build such communities across the country," he remarks.

On: July 7; 7 pm onwards
Call: 8197236742 for RSVP
Log on to: @thelivingroomkutcheri