Mumbai, October 30, 2026: Cultural (Mis)fits (CMF) has launched Ruhbaru, a premium cultural IP designed to bring distinctive musical traditions and contemporary interpretations to new audiences through a series of curated live experiences. The platform’s first chapter, The Orchestral Qawwali Project (OQP), will tour Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai this December, with BAE (Before Anyone Else), ABP Network’s live entertainment platform, producing the debut edition.
Built as an anthology, Ruhbaru will retain a consistent platform identity while each chapter explores a different artist, sound or cultural tradition, spanning Sufi, qawwali, folk, classical, indie and cross-genre collaborations. The initiative aims to expand the discovery of music beyond familiar linguistic, regional and genre boundaries.
Conceived and creatively produced by CMF, Ruhbaru is designed as a long-term cultural property rather than a standalone concert series. The platform will bring together artists and audiences through successive editions, while also creating opportunities for collaborations with brands and other cultural partners.
“India has extraordinary music; what it lacks is the infrastructure to take it from discovery to scale. Ruhbaru is that infrastructure: a cultural IP that can grow chapter after chapter,” said Ishita Chauhan, Founder and CEO, Cultural (Mis)fits.
The inaugural chapter features composer Rushil Ranjan and vocalist Abi Sampa, founders of the Orchestral Qawwali Project. The project combines traditional qawwali with full orchestral arrangements, drawing on Western classical, South Asian and Indian classical traditions.
Since its founding in 2020, OQP has performed at prominent international venues, including the Royal Albert Hall, Roundhouse, Barbican and Symphony Hall Birmingham. Ranjan and Sampa were named Associate Artists of the Royal Albert Hall following their 2024 performance. Their rendition of Man Kunto Maula has also garnered several million views online.
“Bringing the Orchestral Qawwali Project to India is the moment we’ve been working towards. Doing it with Ruhbaru means it doesn’t end when the tour does. It’s the start of OQP having a lasting place here, with room to grow, collaborate, and keep coming back,” said Rushil Ranjan, composer and founder of OQP.
Rajat Uppal, COO, BAE, said, “With the Orchestral Qawwali Project, we wanted to honour qawwali’s timeless essence while giving it a larger, symphonic canvas, bringing international orchestral artists and qawwals together on Indian stages.”
The India tour
5 December 2026: Yashobhoomi, Delhi
6 December 2026: Terraform Arena, Bengaluru
12 December 2026: Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad
13 December 2026: JW Marriott Sahar, Mumbai
Tickets are available on District.
About Ruhbaru
Ruhbaru is a premium cultural IP conceived by Cultural (Mis)fits to bring thoughtfully curated live cultural experiences to India. Built as an anthology, the platform will feature successive chapters showcasing different artists, musical traditions and creative expressions, beginning with The Orchestral Qawwali Project.
About Cultural (Mis)fits
Cultural (Mis)fits connects India’s counter-mainstream creative economy—including artists, ideas, communities and cultural IP—with audiences, brands, platforms and global networks. Its businesses span live experiences and cultural IP, artist management, digital media, film and content production, and merchandise. CMF conceived and creatively produces Ruhbaru and manages Rushil Ranjan, Abi Sampa and The Orchestral Qawwali Project.
