IBTIDA: Ek Mehfil Presents ‘Ghazal Aur Baatein’ With Vishal Bhardwaj

IBTIDA – Ek Mehfil, founded by Tanvi Singh Bhatia and Anubhav Jain, presents Ghazal Aur Baatein, an intimate evening of music, conversation and memory with Vishal Bhardwaj on Sunday, 11 October 2026, at the magnificent Safdarjung Tomb, New Delhi.

Set against the grand 18th-century architecture of Safdarjung Tomb, Ghazal Aur Baatein brings the timeless spirit of the mehfil into one of Delhi’s most atmospheric historic spaces. As the evening unfolds amidst the monument’s sandstone facades, domes and charbagh gardens, music and conversation find a setting steeped in memory, history and the cultural life of the city.

With Ghazal Aur Baatein, this idea takes on a particularly engaging form. Vishal Bhardwaj will lead an evening centred around ghazals, stories and memories, in a setting that invites audiences to slow down, listen and immerse themselves in the experience.

The historic Safdarjung Tomb becomes more than a backdrop to the evening. Its architecture, gardens and sense of passage through time lend an extraordinary atmosphere to a gathering rooted in memory and music. Here, the intimacy of the mehfilmeets the grandeur of a monument that has witnessed centuries of Delhi’s cultural landscape.

Rather than a conventional stage performance, Ghazal Aur Baatein is conceived as a listening mehfil — an evening of sitting together, discovering stories, listening to music and sharing in the baatein that emerges around it. It is also a reflection of IBTIDA’s ability to find its own edge — bringing a contemporary perspective to traditional forms of music, storytelling and conversation, while keeping the experience rooted in their essence.

“The essence of our mehfils have always been the closeness between the artist and the audience — where music is experienced not from a distance, but in shared space and conversation. With Ghazal Aur Baatein, we wanted to recreate that sense of intimacy, allowing audiences to be part of Vishal Bhardwaj's stories, ghazals and memories in a way that feels personal and deeply connected.” say Tanvi Singh Bhatia and Anubhav Jain, Founders, IBTIDA – Ek Mehfil.

Through this experience, IBTIDA continues its exploration of India’s living cultural traditions, creating contemporary spaces for audiences to reconnect with music, poetry, storytelling and the art of conversation.

Ghazal Aur Baatein brings together the intimacy of the traditional mehfil and the grandeur of one of Delhi’s most iconic heritage spaces — creating an evening where music, memory and architecture come together. At its heart is Vishal Bhardwaj, whose presence sets the tone for an evening of ghazals, stories and conversation beneath the timeless silhouette of Safdarjung Tomb.

Event Details

Date: Sunday, 11 October 2026

Venue: Safdarjung Tomb, New Delhi

Timing: 8:00 PM onwards