Delhi’s royal courts with their hedonistic splendour may have given way to state-of-the-art auditoriums, but the bottom-line remains the same: the city still patronises art and culture—bright chandeliers, the heavy beats of tabla and the baithaki tarana, popularised by court musicians like Tansen and Amir Khusro.

Taal, tarana, sur, nritya, natak—strain your ears and you will still feel the pulse of these all. As the first showers cool down the parched land, Delhi comes alive with cultural activities—music concerts, dance recitals, plays and film festivals. Be it small musical gatherings organised by groups like Spic Macay or major theatre festivals like NSD’s Bharat Rang Mahotsav, there are options galore and you’ll definitely have a trying time taking your call.

August to April are particularly happening months in the city’s cultural calendar. During this period, cultural hubs like Shri Ram Centre, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi Music Society, Sangeet Shyamala and such other places don a new look and a vibrant air. Venues like the lawns of Rabindra Bhavan become makeshift rehearsal rooms of amateur theatre groups. And the events pages of various dailies yelp with new-found glee.

For the city’s culturally conscious, all roads lead to Copernicus Marg. Here you have the Kamani Auditorium, second home to many seasoned Delhiites. Adjacent to Kamani is Sumitra Charat Ram’s Institute of Dance and Music. Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, which many Delhiites consider as the best auditorium in town, is also located here.

If Central Delhi venues are popular with theatre buffs, South Delhi auditoriums win hands down when it comes to hosting other cultural events like dance festivals, film screenings and art shows. With beautiful lawns and a reputation as the “intellectual hub” of Delhi, the India International Centre hosts select performances. Not to be left behind is the India Habitat Centre where you can choose between art installations and film screenings. And talking of venues, there is the good-old Siri Fort Auditorium , that has an impressive list of festivals and Mahotsavs in its kitty as well.

The modern Delhiite may pub, party, shop and globe trot, but give her a baithak, natak or a kathak performance anytime and you’ll see the quintessential dilliwala emerge.