1. Quality live events

Our flagship live event is the annual Darbar Festival in London. Audiences can immerse themselves in concerts, talks, demonstration workshops, a music appreciation course and yoga set to live music. This is classical Indian music at its most authentic.

2. Darbar Academy

To establish a solid platform for students of Indian classical music to be taught by world class teachers. Over a 5-year strategy this will help create a new generation of musicians. Working with the Leicestershire Music Hub we deliver Indian music lessons in primary schools. 

3. Reaching new audiences through digital platforms

Using cutting edge technology we produce high quality video for our subscription based portal, The Darbar Player. Our festivals have also been broadcast on Sky Arts TV and BBC Radio 3.

As a small but passionate team, we live by the following values: 

RESPECT 

Mutual respect manifests in all that we do - from our email signatures to our congeniality and courtesy during the Darbar Festival itself. We pay homage to the archetypal the graciousness of Indian hospitality, and our respect infiltrates our approach. Employees are valued for their achievements, abilities, and qualities, and are encouraged to maintain healthy work-life balance as part of their overall wellbeing. Artists’ wishes are respected, and we ensure fair wages and equality for both headlining and accompanying artists. Because, equality, at its core, stems foremost from respect.

INTEGRITY 

Darbar delivers a truthful, unbiased and not dumbing it down for audiences to honour the merit of the classical artform itself. Demonstrating sound artistic judgment, honesty and an unflinching pursuit of excellence in the realm of classical arts—we curate upcoming and exceptionally talented artists based on true merit. All this makes us trustworthy, reliable and well-informed to our staff, contractors, partners and audiences.

ACCOUNTABILITY  

We are a small team of driven professionals—consistent in our delivery and exceptional in our standards and results. That’s the only way we can gracefully execute efforts at such a large scale, even with multiple offshore stakeholders. We are responsible for our actions, decisions and timely delivery, all while upholding the excellent quality Darbar is known for. Our accountability and sense of collective ownership leads to high morale, as well as superior performance. In the words of Jim Collins, we believe we have, “...the right people in the right seats on the bus,” which allows us to take it some place great. 

PASSION 

We are proud of the work that we do, the festivals and projects we deliver and the educational, aspirational value our brand has built. We have a can-do attitude—how could we not, when preserving centuries of tradition is at stake? That means we embrace adversity and always look for a win-win situation to get the work done and motivate others to do the same.  We are we embrace diversity, seeking a win-win situation to get our work done and are constantly learning and evolving. Our passion and attitude guides our work and output, and we share a collective vision of the dreams we hope to achieve. Our attitude of eternal optimism makes each day an adventure, and we aren’t afraid to celebrate work done well.  

EQUALITY 

We aim for Indian classical arts to be valued and recognised by global audiences as a global classical art form and refute what we consider the derogatory label ‘world music’. We proactively work to challenge persisting inequalities and discrimination in Indian classical arts, for example, discrimination based on gender identity, belief or caste, stemming from our deep-seated sense of social justice, appreciation and respect for all artists, as well as the artform. We provide equal opportunities through both digital and live platforms as well as fair remuneration for artists, and celebrate inclusion and diversity. 

In 2022, Darbar will occupy a front-of-mind position in the Indian classical arts space. To deliver this, our team will live our mission statement: 

“We believe in the ability of the Indian classical arts to thrill, inspire and stir a global audience.” 

We will embody the above five values, and continue to manifest unprecedented growth and success—without ever straying from our core ethos and philosophy. 

4. Sustainable growth

Though small, we punch above our weight. We aim, however, to grow in a sustainable way whilst responding to audience needs. We are committed to improving the quality of our work, responding to the challenges we face. Our world is inter-connected and interdependent and our work aspire to always be environmentally responsible.