Voices Devdutt Pattanaik Shampa Dhar-Kamath Ravi Shankar Anand Neelakantan Dr Ramya Alakkal Swami Sukhabodhananda THE new sunday express MAGAZINE Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment november 15 2026 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Room For More Homes are becoming the new venues for intimate, curated social experiences, with some hosts even turning a profit By Deepali Dhingra W hat better way to celebrate than by turning home into the perfect venue for a memorable gathering? From themed brunches and board-game evenings to musical baithaks, book readings and chef-led dinners, urban Indians are opening their living rooms, gardens and terraces to a new kind of social life. Away from packed bars and crowded restaurants, these intimate gatherings offer a more personal way to connect, discover shared interests and meet new people. The appeal lies in the experience as much as the setting. A terrace dinner with fellow jazz lovers or a living-room concert brings people closer, making conversation easier and performances more personal. Increasingly, these are not just private parties for friends and family Hosts and community organisers are . welcoming strangers through platforms such as SortMyScene and AllEvents, as well as Instagram and WhatsApp. They typically promote these events through Instagram Stories, dedicated community pages and WhatsApp groups, where details, invitations and registration links circulate through friends, followers and word-of-mouth recommendations. The loneliness of urban dwellings As British author Johann Hari observes in Lost Connections, loneliness is not about being alone but about feeling disconnected from the people around us. For those weary of crowded bars and predictable lounges, home hospitality is offering a more intimate way to connect. That was the idea behind Upstairs with Us, a series of musical baithaks started by classical musician Sukanya Banerjee and her husband, Tejas, at their Vasant Kunj home in Delhi. Held twice a month, the gatherings attract around 50 people each time. “We are creating a setting where birds of a feather flock together. That common experience needs to feel meaningful. It’s why you don’t become friends with the 500 people sitting beside you in a movie hall,” says Sukanya. In Bengaluru, sisters Shachi Srivastava, a lawyer, and Kriti Srivastava, an educator in design and sustainability , founded Book-A-Table around their shared love of books and food. Each month, they select a book, create a themed food and beverage menu and host ticketed gatherings in their living room. “Reading is inherently solitary so bringing , books and food into a private home creates an instant, offline bond. People, especially Gen Z, are actively seeking analogue, in-person gathering spaces,” says Shachi. For 28-year-old Rishabh Sonker, who has attended over 50 supper clubs across Delhi and Gurugram in the past year, these gatherings offer an alternative to the repetitive restaurant scene. “Making friends as an adult is hard, but because hosts vet everyone beforehand, you enter a safe environment. In one evening, you’re sitting with lawyers, producers or consultants, sharing stories you’d never hear in a typical restaurant,” he says. The trend extends beyond the metros. In Goa, Monica Sancheti, who spent six years working in the food and beverage industry as a publicist, hosts monthly pasta, wine and cheese evenings in her garden. “I am always talking about restaurants, chefs, ingredients and new openings. Eventually I , thought: why does the answer always have to be another restaurant? So, I brought the table home,” she says. For Sancheti, the appeal lies in a shift towards smaller, more personal gatherings. “People are seeking more meaningful forms of hospitality . You are not simply being sold an experience. You are participating in one,” she observes. The art of hosting Beyond offering an alternative to commercial venues, this movement is turning home hospitality into an art of thoughtful curation. From handwritten menus and vintage glassware to carefully planned themes, hosts are paying attention to every detail, prioritising atmosphere, warmth and guest Some hosts are also turning their gatherings into small businesses, charging guests for evenings that cover food, drinks, décor, and entertainment. Whether it is a chef ’s supper club, an intimate gig or a board-game night, guests pay for a thoughtfully curated experience and the chance to meet like-minded people. The model sits somewhere between a house party and a pop-up venue, with the host doubling as curator and entrepreneur. Opening one’s home to strangers, however, raises questions about privacy, security, neighbours objecting to it, and costs. The challenge is to keep gatherings distinctive without making them feel overly produced. After all, their charm lies in the intimacy that commercial venues can struggle to replicate. Bars, restaurants, and clubs will continue to have their place, but homes are emerging as an alternative for those seeking more meaningful social experiences. The living room is not killing the cocktail bar; it is simply giving it competition. And for hosts who can turn a terrace into a concert venue or a dining room into a supper club, the party might just pay for itself. Indian Feast Rocky Mohan’s 14-course Rocky’s Table celebrates regional Indian cuisine through interactive dining “Not a single guest comes to my house without a gift, however small or big. That warmth and generosity make hosting so special.” Rocky Mohan, liquor entrepreneur, author, founder of Rocky’s Table Culinary Experiments Vandita Anand explores India's regional cuisines through inventive supper clubs at Supper at Vandy’s in Dehradun chemistry over elaborate settings. The idea is to create an experience that feels personal, encourages participation and gives strangers a reason to connect. Take Rocky’s Table, for instance. Liquor entrepreneur Rocky (Rakesh) Mohan, author of The Art of Indian Cuisine and Kohinoor of Rice and Spice, and garden gatherings Monica Sancheti hosts pasta, wine and cheese evenings in her Goa garden co-founder of home chef platform Chef Pin, started the initiative to share his passion for Indian food with his social media followers. Created with Puneet Sikand of The Kitchen Art Company and decor collaborator Sanjiv Bali, the supper club hosts 18 diners for a 14-course meal at Mohan’s Delhi residence every alternate Sunday The menu features . regional favourites such as gucchi pulao, Lucknowi shami kebab, prawn malai curry and Amritsari dal, paired with drinks from his brands, including Jamun Gin and Old Monk Coffee. “It is a highly interactive table, where the guests are expected to do at least 30 per cent of the work themselves. For those three hours, it’s all about people having great conversations and laughs,” says Mohan. At The Lost Table, hosted by Archit Agarwal at his Gurgaon residence, the focus is on inventive themes that bring strangers together. Past editions have revolved around ingredients such as lemon, childhood Themed Tables Archit Agarwal’s The Lost Table turns themed dinners into immersive evenings of food, games and conversation “We leverage our social media reach and brand partnerships to make The Lost Table financially sustainable.” Archit Agarwal, founder, The Lost Table Turn to page 2