Tanvi Singh Bhatia on IBTIDA Artists
Co-founder and curator Tanvi Singh Bhatia, along with IBTIDA – Ek Mehfil, re-imagines traditional mehfil as an immersive, multi-sensory cultural language grounded in depth and authenticity. From QISSA to ARCHIVAL Season 3, he talks about creating spaces where audiences don’t just watch, they belong, feel and participate.
IBTIDA re-imagines mehfil as a “living cultural language.” What does this look like in practice today?
From the very beginning, IBTIDA was envisioned as a movement that aimed to redefine, revitalize and restore culture.
Over the years, across various seasons, we have explored this through many lenses, conversations, music, and immersive cultural experiences. Each season was shaped by both instinct and observation; Some were born from pure emotions, some were born from gaps we recognized in the industry. There was a clear longing for something more intimate, more meaningful—spaces where people could actually feel, not just participate.
This journey has been built through many defining moments, each of which has led us to where we are today.
IBTIDA is not just a set of experiences, it is a cultural movement. Someone who constantly strives to represent India in its truest, most honest form and celebrate the Indian Story through music, textiles, food and monuments. Mehfil remains just one aspect of our ecosystem.
In a world driven by trends, how do you stay true to depth and tradition without feeling the pressure to modernize?
At IBTIDA there will always be depth beyond scale. Intimacy to the magnificence of the big sets; Even after 7 years, we strive to maintain the sanity of our values and beliefs from the moment we started.
When the idea of IBTIDA emerged, it was born from the desire to move away from the culture of excessive consumption. We live in a time of constant stimulation where attention spans are shrinking and everything is available at once. We felt like something very important was being lost in this noise.
Our IP was created in response to this. It’s about slowing down. About pausing. About returning to the moments we forgot to notice.
We also feel a deep responsibility to preserve the Indian Story/classical art forms/. Forgotten kitchens and monuments. We often say that we may be the last generation to have direct access to this depth of knowledge, to these living legends. And if we don’t create spaces where this is experienced, understood and valued, it is in danger of being lost, so we never feel the need or have to modernize.
So IBTIDA becomes a bridge. Intergenerational. Between past and present. Between art and the audience. We want to remain committed to this thought and belief and deepen it even further.
How do you design intimacy at scale when expanding IBTIDA across cities and audiences?
Intimacy and Intimacy is the essence of IBTIDA, when we started the whole idea was to move away from bigger formats, shows and over the years we have managed to create this.
IBTIDA has always believed in depth beyond scale and will continue to do so.
That’s why sincerity is at the heart of who we are. By moving away from scale and ostentation and choosing intimacy instead, we make room for something much more lasting: connection, understanding and memory.
We consciously choose places that carry history, such as old havelis, textile shops, dilapidated factories, etc., because these places already contain stories that create scale but preserve the sanity of the essence.
For us, growth has never been just about scale. It was about building and nurturing community with intention, being mindful of the partners we brought in, and shaping every element that contributed to what the cultural IP should represent.
This is what allowed us to expand, reach cities and new audiences while still feeling rooted, but remaining deeply in tune with who we are. The journey took its own course and time, but this was done with honest intention and preserving the brand value.
What new layers of storytelling are you exploring with the mehfil format with Archival – Season 3 & Qissa?
A traditional performance typically creates a clear boundary between the stage and the audience, separating the performer from the observer. QISSA removes this line completely.
India has one of the world’s oldest storytelling traditions. These were never meant to just be watched; these were intended to be inhabited. At QISSA, the story surrounds you. The narrator does not perform for the audience, but rather carries them. Because of the privacy of the space and the lack of physical distance (complete with sensory elements like smell, food, and light), you transition from being a spectator to a participant. This immersion allows you to experience unexpected emotions and is what sets this format apart from others.
How do collaborations with artists like Vishal Bhardwaj or Rekha Bhardwaj shape the emotional and cultural narrative of each experience?
The relationship between IBTIDA and artists goes beyond the stage at the IBTIDA house. Our cooperation with them is at a much deeper level. You may hear the same artist in multiple places, but when they step into an IBTIDA night something changes. The energy is different. More open, more vulnerable, more honest. They’re not just performing; they express themselves, they speak, and they reveal parts of themselves that often don’t come out in larger, more traditional formats. Tanvi Singh Bhatia, who has a deep and personal relationship with many of the artists who have embraced us, says the emotional quotient you see in IBTIDA is very different and difficult to explain.
What we share with our artists goes far beyond a stage or performance. At IBTIDA, the relationship is non-transactional; It is deeply personal and relies on trust, time and emotional exchange.
There’s a certain silence and intimacy that allows thought processes to slow down, storytelling to deepen, and emotional connections with the audience to become much deeper. It’s not just what they offer, but how they feel while offering it.
That’s why our relationship with artists extends far beyond the moment they step on stage. Dialogue is built through mutual respect and shared intention to create something meaningful. They’re not just collaborators for an evening; they become part of the larger cultural narrative we are trying to shape.
Beyond performances, IBTIDA blends music, food, textiles and fragrance; How do you combine these elements into one coherent story?
Our multi-sensory experience is about evoking a deeper sense of pride in India through food, textiles, music and overall ambience. Each element is designed to transport you to the future, take you back in time, and also make you feel relevant in the present. Every experience has a story and concept.
A big part of this is the people we work with. At the heart of this experience are the artists and artisans who come together to create each experience. We consciously strive to create formats that not only celebrate their craft but also create meaningful work and opportunities for them. Maintaining the ecosystem is as important as presenting an evening.
All these elements (discipline, community, mutual respect) together are what truly build the IBTIDA ecosystem.
He was convincing people early on that this was serious. This culture can be built as a business without compromising its soul. There is an audience; a real, deeply engaged audience that wants depth rather than entertainment.
We knew this. It took time to prove this to the outside world and it took 7 years for us.
