Like everything else, the sanctity of music, too, is diluted. Artists think nothing of singing Raag Bhairav, a morning raga, at night or Megh Malhar during the full moon—a painful reality but one that has become a norm. For the uninitiated, Megh Malhar is a monsoon raga, so to speak.

Raga shuffling apart, even music etiquette has been thrown to the winds. Aficionados rue the sparse attention span of those who listen less and understand little but must be seen at all events, which could help get them a Page 3 slot. These are the same people who think nothing of walking in and out in the middle of a concert and sometimes applaud even at the wrong time.

Correcting music etiquette

Among the many who decided to correct this is Mala Sekhri, Founder of MuseMusic: “In the current fast-forward culture, music is experienced in fragments: shortened slots in crowded auditoriums, distracted audiences, and commercial packaging. This has taken away from what music was meant to be for true listeners.”

The next thing Sekhri did was to restore what she terms as “subtlety of the baithak” and create the right “mahaul and an atmosphere of discovery and reverence”, under the auspices of The India Music Retreat.

Sekhri says it was more conviction than being commercially driven: “It is to restore the dignity of the performers and performance and through this build a sustainable meeting ground annually: in other words, create a home for music,” says Sekhri.

Upcoming retreat in Jaipur

Come September, and the city of Jaipur will perhaps have a soul-change, so to speak: “The decision to host the retreat in Jaipur was deliberate. Accessibility apart, it has spaces crafted for an ethereal listening experience and one that transports you away from this world, which is rushed and hustling. Music here resonates naturally,” Sekhri says.

This year’s festival, scheduled for mid-September, has an impressive line-up: Ustad Shujaat Khan, Wassifuddin Dagar, Jasbir Jassi and American Saxophonist George Brooks: an amalgam of dhrupad, thumri, ghazal, folk and much more.

Some of the other high points of the much-awaited festival are artistes reliving their music memories, Brunch with pianist Brian Silas, and tributes to accompanists, including table and tanpura players, among others.

Sekhri comes with a rich experience of hosting similar events in the past: “ a never-done-before experience”, as Sekhri says. Dariya Kinare, on the banks of the Hooghly River in Kolkata, was memorable as was the one in Varanasi or Sur Mahal in Patiala in Punjab, among others. Given their success and the mesmerising experience, the forthcoming one in Jaipur is sure to make the cut: “Fingers crossed”, says Sekhri as she embarks on yet another edition of the journey of music and restoring its etiquette and “mahaul”, so to speak