In Delhi, one of the nation’s most eclectic centres of art, Pune vocalist Viraj Joshi was surprised to hear that the tradition of morning Diwali musical concerts does not happen anywhere except Maharashtra.

“When the organisers whom I had been talking to told me that Diwali concerts only take place in Maharashtra, I was amazed. That makes the Diwali pahat really special, especially as, nowadays, we don’t get to hear a lot of early morning concerts. Diwali becomes a special occasion to perform morning ragas,” says Joshi.

If the evening of Diwali is marked by lights, the morning is to come together to listen to an eminent or rising musician fill the cool November air with ragas and other compositions.

“Many people want to hear the famous renditions of my grandfather, the late Pt Bhimsen Joshi, from me. I make it a point to include Indian classical music.…