24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Baarish returns with Chapter 2 on 26th July at Travancore Palace
Written by Anusree K C
After a successful debut in June, Baarish, the immersive monsoon experience curated by Excurators, returns to Delhi with its second edition titled Downpour Diaries. Scheduled for 6 pm on July 26, Saturday, at the Travancore Palace, New Delhi — the evening promises a sensorial blend of music, food and history — a tribute to the rains not just as a weather, but as a mood, memory and muse.
The evening opens with a multisensory installation of sound, mist and ambient visuals – that will set the mood for the evening.
At its heart is Rang: The Musical, a live retelling of the 13th–14th century Delhi through the intertwined stories of Amir Khusrau Dehlavi and Nizamuddin Auliya, brought alive by Eric Chopra and band Rehmat-e-Nusrat in a seamless fusion of qawwali and narrative. 'Everyone who has come to Delhi made it their own and contributed something artistically, creatively and poetically to lodge their memory into this city, and two names that come out are Amir Khusrau and Nizamuddin Auliya…..We're trying to see how these figures fit into the larger history of Delhi, how Amir Khusrau evolved as a tradition rather than a name and as a philosophy,' says Chopra.
On the culinary front, celebrated chef Arun Kumar TR of the popular coastal cuisine restaurant, Zambar, in collaboration with Cafe Lota, dives deep into Kerala's monsoon cuisine. Alongside a tasting experience, he will also share insights into his new book Feast on My Leaf. 'There is a certain kind of food happening during the season, centered around Thattukada (street tea shop) in Kerala, which is what I will be focussing on during the tasting experience,' says Kumar, who is excited on the prospect of introducing his favourite snacks to the audience.
The night culminates with a powerful tribute to the late Mangey Khan, with a reunion performance by the Barmer Boys carrying forward the Manganiyar legacy and the Baarish Ensemble, blending folk traditions with contemporary sound. 'It's been a year of shattering silence since Mangey Khan passed away…Since September last year, the band members were frozen in shock and grief at his passing. Now, after a year of his absence, we are trying to bring back the music and the band with Bhura Khan, who is Mangey Khan's student and idea is to carry forward the legacy of Manga, as we called him lovingly, and to make sure his music lives on,' says Ashutosh Sharma, co-founder of Amarrass records — the record label of Barmer Boys.
Through the call of qawwali, the hot piping snacks, or the hypnotic pull of folk rhythms, Baarish Chapter 2 invites its audience to experience rain not just as backdrop, but as poetry in motion.
