Bhajan Banger
Music streams from the speakers in a vast room brimming with zesty souls. The crowd seemingly transported to a world cut away from the one outside. There is adrenaline josh as they clap hands and sing in unison. There is positivity when the peace of music caresses hearts. The outpourings may seem weird to some and pure joy to others. The gathering is a blend of ages the old, the middle-aged and a whole lot of youth as though time barriers have melted away in waves of music. The presence of youth may suggest a wild party. But it is positive and peppy, sans headbanging or theatrics. No EDM, no rock, no big names wielding powerhouse instruments just soothing music. The Nandagovindam group is at play in one of their now-famous BhajanConnect programmes. When we perform to a crowd of many, it is the positive vibe that makes all the difference. We love the way they sit with us, immersed in the music. Its great to see so many youngsters in the crowd, says Naveen Mohan, lead singer of the group. Formed two decades years ago, the team shot to fame during the pandemic when videos of their jam sessions went viral. I saw them first on YouTube while working from home. It was electric, as they mixed popular Malayalam film songs with a devotional twist and jammed together, recalls Harini Narayana G, a market researcher. I could feel something in me move as they sang sthambam pilarkunna hungara shabdam (the deafening sound when the pillar split). I had never felt such magic for a long time. Across India, youngsters grooving tobhajanshas become a visible trend, as the razzmatazz of clubbing joins hands with songs of divine love. Popularly termed bhajanclubbing, it sees large youth congregations vibing to spiritual chants. The Bhajan group from Vattiyoorkavu Sri Sathya Sai temple Singers like Hansraj Raghuvanshi and Jubin Nautiyal have built cult followings, while bands such as the Delhi-based Sadho Band and Vrindavan-based Madhavas Rock Band draw crowds. The following also extends to performers like Radhika Das and Achyut Gopi, a black woman from the US who calls herself a Grammy-nominated Kirtaniya, whose songs can get entire stadiums grooving. This trend picked up pace during the pandemic period, among the youth as well as others. The content is also made knowing the need that people want to engage in something that will soothe them even as it entertains, says Sarath C Kurup, a former Navy officer who is the organiser of the Kochi-based TulasimalaBhajansSamiti. Kerala witnessed a similar surge during the pandemic, with many tuning into groups such as Vishwaroopa, Tulasimala, Sree Radheyam, Thrissul, Nandagovindam and the all-women ShivahariBhajans, whose videos and Facebook Live sessions drew large audiences. Songs by Sivasri Skandaprasad and Shankar Mahadevan in this genre also trended. I feel the trend began even earlier, in spurts, when bands like Agam introduced Carnatic fusion to Keralas youth. Then came rappers like Brodha V and Sheldon Bangera, who lavishly borrowed from Sanskrit chants as they sang about the liberating space in spiritual traditions, says Neeraj Gopalan Shankar, a banker and ardent follower ofbhajanmusic. The folk-tunedbhajannumbers of Kalabhavan Mani, as well as songs like Padivalum Bhadravatakam, further grew into the young populace, leading to them being noticed by singers like the US-based Vidya Vox (Vidya Iyer), who incorporated them in their albums. Now, you have Gen Z watchingbhajangroups and even posting dance covers. Youth engagement withbhajans, Neeraj adds, cannot be seen in isolation. Thebhajangroups are not new sprouts. But now, there is an added affinity towards tradition and culture of the land. There is a going back to the roots trend that can be clearly seen, he notes. Some of the members of the all-woman Sivahari Bhajan group. For Nisha R, founder of the Shivahari group, social and personal anxieties often push people towards a higher power. Here, its via music. This has happened even centuries before. And it is repeating now, she says, while juggling a full-time job at the post office and managing the nine-year-old group that performs over 20 programmes a month. Sarath says passion drives his Tulasimala group too. He believes the shift came whenbhajansacquired a local flavour. Till then,bhajansconstituted mostly Carnatic elements and abhangs, which only a few could enjoy, he says. The Ernakulam-based Thulasimala Bhajan group. The current model came about after people like veteran singer Prashanth Varma reconstructed it with local, relatable flavours. That is the model we all follow now. Manybhajannumbers that went viral were carefully compiled, with popular film tunes carrying devotional themes being tweaked or elaborated. A prominent example is Manohari Radhe from the 2006 film Classmates, which has gained renewed popularity in its extendedbhajanform. The change came about with Kolarishi, a fast-paced Kannada song. Later, Pon Pulari and Manohari Radhe Radhe emerged in thebhajanformat. Now, these songs are all over Kerala sung by the 227bhajangroups that function in the state with national and global reach, says Prashanth Varma. The traditional image of sampradayabhajanshas shifted dramatically. Todays performers may lack the spectacle of rock bands, but they are dressed in traditionally trendy attire, open to Buddhist, Gurbani, Sufi, Hebrew and other chant traditions, adept with technology, and fluent in social media outreach. Their emotional involvement is key. They are not puritan but rooted in a surreal way. It is this trend that turns the youth. The space earlier given to film songs based on changing emotions has been replaced by something they feel is more consistent, says a young member of the Vattiyoorkavu Sathya SaiBhajanGroup, who prefers anonymity. Else, you have to quote all my team members. We recently performed as a team of 10 to a standing ovation. And we are part of a larger group of 20, which includes kids as young as seven or eight. The hugely popular Nanadagovindam Bhajans group. Naveen believes this growing love forbhajansreflects a comfort space sought by young people in an increasingly stressful world. The search is for a sense of inner peace. The role of music is profound, even as studies have proved. Gen Z looks for joys beyond money and fame to create good memories, to bond, and to reach a calm and positive mind space, he says. This need for peace and positivity urges travel and grooving to music that soothes. And the generation that follows will seek solace even more actively. Academically, the trend is often linked to post-pandemic behaviour either indulgence in extremes or a deeper questioning of lifes purpose. This is cyclic as well, says psychiatrist Arun B Nair. After a period of recklessness, there is a seething disinterest that awakens a quest for calm. When people find it in something comforting, placid and beautiful, they feel rested in a homecoming sense. Such engagement, he adds, activates the insula region of the brain, improving well-being and positive mindfulness. This is indeed the aim of the artform to urge people to calm themselves, to focus on positives, Prashanth notes. Only from such peace can beauty emerge. When you encourage people towards that, magic happens. I have seen it while training youngsters. They can be weaned away from perils like alcohol or drug abuse, he says. Souls are intrinsically beautiful. And music evokes that beauty.
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