Pune’s Baithak reaches 8,000 kids
- Pune’s Baithak Foundation marked ten years of bringing Indian classical music into government schools. - The program says it has reached about 8,000 schoolchildren using low‑cost school programs and higher‑value concerts. - The model blends education, donor support, and paid events to sustain classical music outreach at scale. (indianexpress.com)
A Pune nonprofit that began as a weekend activity says it has brought Indian classical music into government schools for a decade and reached about 8,000 children. (indianexpress.com) The group, Baithak Foundation, was founded by Dakshayani Athalye and Mandar Karanjkar in June 2016 and works in low-income schools, community centres and other settings in Maharashtra. Its flagship school program, Baithak@Classes, uses interactive concerts and music-appreciation sessions rather than formal conservatory-style training. (indianexpress.com) (baithak.org) (sahapedia.org) The Indian Express reported that the foundation has tried to keep school programs low-cost while funding them with donor support and higher-priced public events. Baithak’s own site says it also curates concerts, workshops and home performances for paying audiences and patrons. (indianexpress.com) (baithak.org) That mix addresses a basic problem in arts education: government schools rarely have money set aside for sustained music exposure, especially for a form often treated as elite or specialist. Baithak says its mission is “equitable music access and learning opportunities” for children from marginalized communities. (indianexpress.com) (baithak.org) The model also sits inside a wider push to treat culture as economic activity, not only charity. In the Indian Express account, Athalye described the approach as part of the “orange economy,” a term used for creative work that generates both cultural and financial value. (indianexpress.com) Baithak’s programs have changed over time. A 2019 project note on its website described Baithak@Classes running at 15 Pune locations and five schools in Solapur, while newer pages say the foundation now works across multiple districts and through several formats, including fellowships, books and research. (baithak.org) (mandarkaranjkar.com) (youtube.com) Outside profiles have tracked that expansion too, though the numbers vary by date. Sahapedia’s 2021 profile described a Pune trust focused on school sessions, while a 2026 Free Press Journal feature said the organization was still centered on widening access to Indian classical music for children shut out by cost and social barriers. (sahapedia.org) (freepressjournal.in) The foundation’s own public materials show the same balancing act behind the anniversary milestone: free or subsidized school exposure on one side, paid cultural programming on the other. After ten years, Baithak is presenting that structure as the way it kept classical music in classrooms long enough to reach thousands of students. (indianexpress.com) (baithak.org)
