Baitalik dates back to 1970 when Tapan was a student of Music College. Along with other enthusiastic cultural personalities like Dr Alim Al Raji and the sports editor of a Bangla Daily, Badiuzzaman, Tapan joined hands to establish a cultural group. At the time there were no such organisations in the country. The organisation was set up following a cultural programme organised by the threesome in 1969. Tapan says, 'We got a huge response and appreciation for that programme. As a result we thought of forming Baitalik so that music enthusiasts could practice the art forms created by Tagore.'

Although Baitalik has come a long way, the path was not smoothly paved. The organisers had very little support both financial and organisational. However, they held some musical and dance programmes to promote these art forms. And in the late 1970s Baitalik students staged different dance dramas of Tagore and Nazrul, such as Shyama, Shapmochon, Chandalika and Musafir. These performances were successful and staged by tickets.

However, Tapan soon decided to concentrate on one single art form -- Tagore songs. His reasoning was that as he was not a dancer he must give emphasis to the art form with which he was well acquainted. As he said, 'I realised that I should do what I am best at. And if I devote myself to different fields and cannot manage them successfully I should opt out.'

There have been many changes in the group. For instance, full time schooling was closed in 1987. At present Tapan takes classes on every Friday at his residence. About the qualifications of the students of his school, Tapan said, 'I don't teach the beginners. I always prefer the students who know the basics of music already. I teach them the style of singing as well as the accent, which is very important for a singer. The main objective of our organisation is to create promising Tagore singers.' Tapan feels that this organisation is a platform for the promising singers who want a break. Tapan named some of his students who are now successful singers such as Mahadev Ghosh, Jesmin Nahar Mustafa, Shotya Chakrabarty and Bishnu Mandal. Tapan claimed that many of the students are now the enlisted artistes of television and radio.

At present Baitalik has about 30 students who are studying music under Tapan Mahmud's supervision. These students also take part in the annual cultural programmes organised by the group. The latest programme organised by Baitalik was the Bhanga Gaan of Tagore that was held last December. Bhanga Gaan are the special songs by Tagore that were influenced by the western music. 'After the long journey of 34 years, this group is still committed to create truly talented singers, ' said Tapan Mahmud.