Linkin Park is already preparing for their India debut later this week. On arrival, they might find a city open and embracing inventive new music. Back in the late 1800s, it was a different India. Music was the privilege of the royal courts. But in cosmopolitan Bombay of 1870, a Parsi music club sought to change it. Dr Aneesh Pradhan’s lecture on the Parsi Gayan Uttejak Mandali at the KR Cama Oriental Institute will shine a spotlight on this lesser known chapter of the city’s musical history.

A moment from the performance of the Parsi Gayan Uttejak Mandali curated by Shubha Mudgal (in yellow) and Aneesh Pradhan in Goa. Pics Courtesy/Dr Aneesh Pradhan