Air travel in 2025 is usually a cocktail of recycled air, crying babies, and overpriced sandwiches. Yet sometimes, the universe slips a miracle between seat 14A and 14B. That miracle recently found Anupam Kher on a routine domestic flight when he discovered he was seated next to Prithvi Gandharv—the velvet-voiced ghazal and thumri singer who shot to nationwide fame through the web series Bandish Bandits.

A Spontaneous Rendition at 30,000 Feet

Somewhere over the clouds, conversation turned to music. One request led to another, and before the seat-belt sign could protest, Prithvi Gandharv softly began “Chupke Se Dil Dai De”—the timeless ghazal made immortal by Ghulam Ali. No microphone, no backing track, no auto-tune—just a pure, unfiltered voice wrapping itself around every weary passenger like a warm pashmina on a winter evening.

Anupam Kher, visibly moved, later shared a video snippet on social media that melted millions of hearts. “In an era where even bathroom singers use pitch correction,” he captioned, “here’s a man reminding us what a real sur feels like.”

From Bandish Bandits to Economy Class Baithak

Younger audiences know Prithvi Gandharv as the brooding classical prodigy from Bandish Bandits, where his renditions of Raag Yaman and Mishra Khamaj became streaming chart regulars. But long before Netflix knocked on his door, Gandharv was already a quiet storm in intimate mehfil circles, carrying forward the legacy of Mehdi Hassan and Ghulam Ali with effortless grace.

To hear that legacy unfold inside the cramped metal tube of an Airbus, surrounded by tray tables and snoring strangers, felt almost subversive—an act of gentle rebellion against the sterile soundtrack of modern life.

The contrast was poetic: fluorescent cabin lights versus the amber glow a baithak deserves; plastic cups versus crystal glasses of rooh afza; yet the music soared untouched, reminding everyone that great art needs no stage.

The Persian Echoes That Still Travel Ticketless

Ghazals, born in the rose-scented courts of Persia, have always been wanderers. They crossed mountains and centuries to nestle in the Hindustani soul, carrying with them the ache of separation and the sweetness of reunion. On that flight, centuries collapsed into seven melodic minutes. Strangers became temporary lovers of the same verse, headphones came off, conversations paused, and for once, no one complained about leg space—because the heart had suddenly found room to expand.

Anupam Kher’s glowing face in the video said it all: some joys cannot be scripted, only stumbled upon.

Keep Your Ears Open, the World Is Still Singing

In a world drowning in auto-tuned hooks and algorithm-fed playlists, moments like these feel like oxygen. They remind us that live art—raw, breathing, human—still walks among us, sometimes wearing a simple kurta in economy class.

Next time you board a train, a bus, or a delayed Indigo flight, keep your ears (and heart) slightly ajar. The next ghazal, the next thumri, the next nameless miracle might be sitting right beside you, waiting for a gentle “Zara ga ke sunaiye na…”

Because true melody, like true kindness, never needs a boarding pass.

Read Also: Bandra Sparkles at 15th IFP Festival: Adarsh Gourav, Vishal Jethwa & 53,000 Creatives Unite for 50 Hours of Brilliance

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