On the evening of Sunday 25 October 2026, Music in the Park returned to Nehru Park in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Hindustani vocalist Siddhartha Belmannu opened the evening, and sitarist Shahid Parvez closed it, for an audience of diplomats, students, office-goers and people who had simply come for a walk.
Belmannu sang with Ameya Nitin Bichu on harmonium and Tejovrush Joshi on tabla. Shahid Parvez, one of the best-known sitarists of the Etawah (Imdadkhani) gharana, played with Mithilesh Jha on tabla. The broadcaster Sunit Tandon hosted the evening.
What is Music in the Park?
Music in the Park is a free series of open-air Indian classical concerts at Nehru Park, New Delhi, run by the New Delhi Municipal Council with SPIC MACAY and the SRF Foundation. It has been running for more than two decades, usually with evenings in the autumn and again in spring, and entry is free for everyone.
Taking the music out of the auditorium
The idea is simple. NDMC chairman Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, who spent the evening among the audience, said concerts like this carry classical music out of auditoriums and into the city’s shared spaces, and make life in the capital richer for it. Over the years the organisers have kept the concerts in an open part of the park rather than behind barriers, so someone out for a jog can stop, listen, and stay for the next raga.
Arun Bharat Ram, whose SRF Foundation supports Music in the Park, plays the sitar himself. He has said he grew up loving music heard in the open air, and that is why he backs the series.
More Hindustani music in Delhi this season
If the evening left you wanting more, Delhi has a full winter ahead. Our listings include Ajoy Chakrabarty at The IIC Experience. Read how MALHAR 2026 brought young audiences to classical music in the city, and follow On Stage news for more evenings like this one.
Sources: Millennium Post, on the 25 October concert (27 October 2026); The Patriot, on the history of the series (background)