There’s an underrated beauty when you step away from the craziness of Mumbai and into the wild beauty of Ranthambore. Warren de Sylva, co-founder and COO of SPONCO, was kind enough to invite me for a one-of-a-kind Durbar experience at the Nahargarh Ranthambhore hotel. On most occasions, I either don’t find time to step away or choose not to, but the curation and intentionality of the festival were incredibly thoughtful and spoke to me. Durbar, sitting quietly at the edge of the forest, welcomed us with surprising out-of-season rains and a warm embrace.
A festival like Durbar doesn’t exist to replicate music and culture festival experiences that are teeming across the country, but to reimagine it with consciousness, intentionality, and a deep respect for craft, culture, and regional storytelling
From the very first moment, it was clear: Durbar was special. And I certainly left feeling special.
My best friend, Shweta and I were welcomed on the palace lawns with craft cocktails, the sound of David Goren’s jazz-funk filling the air like a soft invitation to slow down, breathe in, and open ourselves up to something more expansive. There was no rush and no schedules — just an organic unfolding of the experience. I put my phone away for an hour or perhaps longer. That was surely a step forward for me to commit to the experience.
"In its first edition, our aim was establishing Durbar as a mindful experience for a small audience of like-minded people who share a passion for wildlife, heritage and craft experiences. For this first chapter, we worked closely with craftswomen and men, folk artists, local chefs, forest rangers, wildlife experts, conservationists and local communities to co-create a truly authentic and consciously crafted experience."Warren de Sylva, co-founder and COO of SPONCO
Indian craftsmanship, conservation, and cultural storytelling were the pillars and ethos of Durbar, and not as mere lip service or just an afterthought. It was woven into the fabric of both the curation and the overall experience. In the Palace Courtyard, Dhonk Crafts' pop-up brought handmade beauty to life under the arches, while artists, designers, and cultural thought leaders moved through the palace grounds.
Later, during high tea, we gathered under our umbrellas and the wistful rain for ‘The Last Frontier’, a documentary that reminded us that conservation, community, and culture are forever intertwined. Narrated by Shabana Azmi, it was rooted in the festival’s deeper fabric of preservation and storytelling.
“Durbar by Godawan is our tribute to India’s rich cultural and natural heritage. It’s a space where conservation meets culture, and communities come together to experience the beauty of craft in its truest form. With Godawan Estuary Water, we are redefining mindful luxury in India, and this marks the beginning of that journey toward a sustainable and meaningful future. We look forward to curating experiences that cater to connoisseurs of all kinds — from craft, heritage, and luxury.”Vikram Damodaran, Chief Innovation Officer of Diageo India
"We were fortunate that the first edition of Durbar was very well received by guests — a true testament to the fact that there is a growing audience seeking out smaller, more intimate, and mindful experiences. While we're seeing an explosion of large scale concerts and festivals where the main draw is the artist or line-up, we consciously focused the attention away from 'headlining acts' and more on crafted experiences, wildlife, and folk traditions."Warren de Sylva, co-founder and COO of SPONCO
As the sun set behind the fort’s domes, we found ourselves amidst the golden hour energy of folk music at the Mandir Lawns, warmed by the garam chai between our fingers. The virtuoso Langa musicians brought centuries-old sounds alive with a raw, unfiltered joy that made the courtyard feel electric. It wasn’t performative; it was participatory. It demanded your attention. And rightfully so.
The night brought the Durbar Hall alive with Sameer Rahat’s spoken word performance, leaving us with a nostalgic longing. The dinner on my last night at the beautiful step well of the Hathi Kund, was lit with a thousand candles under a starry night (I think the clouds had cleared by then) and was hosted by Abhimanyu Alsisar himself — a storyteller of ancient secrets and tales. Under a starlit sky, sipping on Godawan Single Malt, paired with a soulful Rajasthani meal fit for royalty (well, they were generational royal recipes), it became impossible to separate the threads of taste, music, and memory.
Some other key moments of Durbar that really connected with me included:
1. Looking for Sultan
This documentary by Gautam Pandey and Doel Trivedy truly moved me. It spotlights the urgent need for tiger and wildlife conservation and beautifully narrates the story of Sultan, one of Ranthambore’s most iconic tigers. What made it even special was meeting, in person, the key people who were instrumental in Sultan’s discovery and protection. Their purpose, patience, and heart for conservation left a profound imprint on me.
2. A Homegrown Musical Experience Like No Other
It’s been a very, very long time since I experienced a musical moment that really affected me so deeply, which was a reminder of the sheer magic music can create when it’s rooted and courageous.
At the heart of it was Beat Route, an immersive audio-visual performance created by the brilliant minds of Roysten Abel and Ranjit Barot. Roysten Abel, the acclaimed theatre director, and Ranjit Barot, one of India's most iconic drummers whose craft spans film scores to jazz stages around the world, came together to create something deeply original and homegrown. They brought together the powerful folk percussion traditions of Kerala and Rajasthan, steeping centuries of rhythm with contemporary Indian sonic landscapes.
On stage, ten master drummers from both regions became the heartbeat of this project, creating an immersive wall of sound that felt simultaneously ancient and futuristic. This wasn’t fusion for the sake of fusion. It was a masterful confluence and intersectionality of India's unique regional sonic identities. It was something far more intentional; a coming together of traditions, reimagined and powerful. In that moment, I was reminded that Homegrown music doesn’t need to fit into global frameworks to be powerful. It already is powerful. When homegrown traditions are reimagined organically, with authenticity and vision, they create new and limitless worlds.
"Our music curation reflected the same ethos of blending traditions with modernity — featuring boundary-pushing collaborations like Hamza Rahimtula with the Rajasthan folk stars, and Beat Route with Ranjit Barot, directed by Roysten Abel, where folk sounds met contemporary electronic influences."Warren de Sylva, co-founder and COO of SPONCO
Durbar represents the limitless potential of homegrown festivals and movements that are mindful, intentional, and rooted in the cultural essence of Indian craft, heritage, and storytelling. It underlines the importance of looking inward at our own traditions and practices and channelling the unbridled authenticity that they always bring to the fore.
Season 1 of Durbar was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. With Season 2 coming up, we’d certainly recommend booking your tickets for Rajasthan. It’ll be an experience you’re unlikely to forget in a hurry.
Find out more here.
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