Archive · 19 Dec 2025
Revisiting Mumbai’s First Classical Music Club
A long time ago, in 1871, a group called Parsi Gayan Uttejak Mandali started a music club in Bombay to teach and perform Hindustani classical music.
This was a big deal because it was one of the first formal music clubs in India.
Recently, musicians Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan recreated this club's first concert at a festival in Goa.
They invited people to listen to the music just like they did back then.
The club was special because it included women and children, and it even had a diverse list of music styles.
Over time, the club opened up to other communities and became an important part of India's musical history.
Parsi Gayan Uttejak Mandali, founded in 1871, was one of India's first formal music clubs for Hindustani classical music.
The club's first concert, or jalsa, was recreated at the Serendipity Festival in Goa in 2025 by Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan.
The recreation included a diverse repertoire of music forms like dhrupad, thumri, and garbi, some of which were composed by Mudgal and Pradhan to stay close to the original.
The club initially focused on Parsi families, including women and children, and later opened up to other communities.
Notable members included Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, who wrote the first modern treatise on Hindustani classical music, and political leader Dadabhai Naoroji.
- Who
- Parsi Gayan Uttejak Mandali, founded by Kaikhushro Navrojee Kabrajee
- What
- Recreation of the first jalsa (concert) of the Parsi Gayan Uttejak Mandali
- When
- First concert in 1871, recreated in 2025 at the Serendipity Festival
- Where
- Originally in Bombay, recreated in Goa
- Why
- To revive the history of Hindustani classical music and its cultural significance
- Founded by
- Kaikhushro Navrojee Kabrajee
- First Concert
- 1871
- Recreated Event
- Serendipity Festival, Goa
- Curators
- Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan
- Compositions Performed
- 1,100 (1871-1886)
- Notable Members
- Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, Dadabhai Naoroji
- Music Forms
- Dhrupad, Dhamar, Chaturang, Thumri, Tappa, Bhajan, Garbi
- Community Focus
- Parsi families, including women and children