Musician on a mission to keep bhajans alive

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1:27Bhajan jams or Hindu devotional songs have been sung for well over a thousand years. They've been a way of worshipping, gathering and staying connected to faith through music. I do believe we're losing our culture a little bit. This kind of brings the community together. It's very different to the bhajan. You can enjoy more together. From the bhakti movement in 6th century India to songs featured in Bollywood films today, Pudgeons have evolved over generations, but now they're being reworked again to appeal to the younger diaspora.

2:06What he's done is created a way of making it relevant to today's audience without losing its pure intention. It's literally like enlightening something in me. This is a documentary from the BBC World Service. I'm Raj Korbilku, and in this episode of Heart and Soul, I'm meeting the people behind the quest to keep an ancient sound alive. Bhajan jams are going viral. Young people are taking the devotional songs out of the traditional settings and literally rocking audiences across the world. I'm meeting two Bhajan jam artists from opposite sides of the Atlantic, both with different perspectives on the art form and their faith.

2:48I'm not religious. I mean, I'm Jain myself. I think I'm spiritual. I love visiting the temple. I love praying, but I'd call myself spiritual. Are you religious? Oh yes, definitely. What does religion mean to you? Hinduism for me, it's more about giving thanks and living selflessly and trying to make the world a better place for you and for the people around you.

3:18Ralph, are we live? I'm in the UK capital London where local lad Bhavik Haria is preparing for a big concert and rehearsals are in full swing.

3:32So you are really hard to get hold of. Just describe your schedule to me right now. Right now it is crazy. We are all over the place. We're working on so many exciting projects which are aligned with my mission to keep pigeons alive. But to have this much work is a blessing. So it's a real honour to be busy right now. In recent years, since the coronavirus pandemic, Bhajan jams or Bhajan raves have become a global trend. But what are they exactly? So Bhajan jamming or Bhajan clubbing is a trend that began in India. It's basically presenting Bhajans in a different style. So the production is a lot more than you would normally see at a traditional Bhajan event.

4:10You've got some lights moving, you might have some special effects. you have these big screens with visuals when I begin these bhajan jams I always say to the audience that this is something that's been happening for a long long time for many many years just in different way so our grandparents would gather in homes they would sing bhajans our parents or you you know would attend temples and they would sing and chant together in some degree it's a bhajan jam now we're adding the element of production I think it's it's a great concept. It may fade away in a few years, who knows, something else will come.

4:43But I think the important thing is it's really engaging the youth, which is incredible. Mpavik is 34 years old, average height with a slender build and a calming nature. He's one of the most popular bhajanjam artists touring in the UK and is regularly booked to perform across the world. But I wanted to know how a guy of his young age came to perform religious songs traditionally sung by elders in the community. So for me it was 2009, 2010-ish. And how old were you then? I was 12. And music has been in my family for a long time. So my granddad was a big devotee of Jala Rambappa, a Hindu god, and he used to sing all the time when we had family functions.

5:25He would always open with a prayer. And initially he used to sing for like 10-15 minutes and all of us kids used to get bored, but then we understood what he was doing and how he was creating such a beautiful blessing to start the event or whatever we were hosting and he was part of this Jala Rambapa Mandri every Thursday night they would go to different people's homes or community centers and they would all take turns and sing so a group of 20-30 people would travel every single week to different places around the UK and my mum used to go and eventually she took me along with her I used to take my harmonium they always used to encourage me to sing I used to make loads of mistakes but they were just so generous with their love of just sharing this music and singing and then my parents bought me a piano I used to take that along with me at the time it was like four times the size of me but I used to lug it around and and play and for them it was something new at the time because they just had the harmonium the tabla the manjira and I was just trying something new but that's where it began for me he's not the only young musician bringing Pajans to a new audience.

6:29Gauri Madhuri Tanraj is performing with Bhavik in his London concert. She was born in Canada but raised in Guyana in South America and Pajans have been a part of her earliest memories.

6:48I think I've always been into them. My father and his father before him and his father before him, they were Hindu priests, pandits. So I always grew up in mandir in the temple. And bhajans have always been the way that the lay people or the common people can connect to God, especially because many of our scriptures are in Sanskrit and our bhajans are in Hindi or Awadbasha or the local Hindi language. So they've always felt special to the common folk. yeah so I think I was just kind of born into it and now it's just with me forever. So for Bhavik and Gauri their grandfathers played a pivotal role in instilling a love for devotional music in them.

7:29I wondered what it meant for those generations of their families who had moved to the UK and Guyana from India decades ago. I think Bhajans for that generation at the time was keeping true to what they had grown up with and understanding and enjoyed singing and another big part is the legacy and ensuring generations to come understand and as I said sometimes we as kids used to think oh my gosh this is boring and sometimes he'd go on for like half an hour but actually looking back now it was such a beautiful way of of creating this legacy for future generations comes and now me and my cousins we all enjoy listening to bhajans if you kind of transport yourself back to that time when you know you've got your granddad and his friends in your front room and your, you know, little 10, 12 year old Bavic listening to them joining in.

8:19Can you remember any emotions? Are there any smells? Are there any thoughts that are coming to mind that take you back to that time? Oh, it's a great question. I think what smells would be like the agarbati, the incense, for sure. I think thoughts would like just just feeling that devotion and the energy and and we say power of like the love you know everyone was there for to sing you know there was no other agenda just to be present and just to share. Gauri's family moved to Guyana before settling in Canada so Pajans have helped keep the distant link to India alive after multiple generations of her family emigrated to the other side of the world.

9:00I know for the Guyanese who would have come from India, it was like their pathway to home. Like they would have been in this foreign land that looked very similar to home, but the language was different, the people were different, but the water was the same, the sky was the same, the trees were the same. And then when they would have sang their bhajans, it made them feel like they weren't alone because even though they're far away from home and family and friends, Bhagwan or that divine entity was still with them across the oceans. And I think it's kind of analogous to what we're experiencing today, because like my generation is almost like the twice diaspora, because we've immigrated from India to Guyana, and then again from Guyana to Canada.

9:48And we've also lost that connection to two homes now, the first home of our parents, and then the second home of India, of our great-great-grandparents. So bhajans kind of serve as a bridge between not just two countries, but three almost. So I think we're experiencing the same thing as our ancestors, just in a different language today.

10:15Gauri blends Indian classical music with West Indian folk to reflect her diverse heritage, creating musical links to her family legacy.

10:29Because we're from Guyana and the music there is a little more rural folk music. So when you come to Canada, you might look at those kinds of music and you think, oh, it's not as classy as the Indian Bollywood music we hear. But now I'm studying in my master's about Indian folk music and how it migrated, and I'm starting to see and love the beauty of Indian folk music. And I'm letting go of that kind of Western privileged bias of looking at folk music as not up to the same standard as classical music. So you have a global perspective on Pajans because, you know, you live across Guyana and Canada.

11:08You're here in the UK now. Do people from all of these different countries receive Pajans in a different way? Or do you think they actually unite them regardless of which country they're from? I think it's more of the latter because, and this has really come to the fore in the bhajan jamming, because I've seen when I've done it in Canada, there's people there from, of course, Canada, but also all parts of India, like Gujarat, Punjab, North, South. Then you've got the West Indians, the Guyanese, the Trinidadians. Then you've got the people from Africa and you've got Fiji, you've got Mauritius, South Africa, Zimbabwe.

11:45So to have all of these diverse people in one space, what is really uniting them is the lyrics of those songs, the music behind those bhajans.

12:01Songs like Raghupati Raghav or Payoji Mene. No matter where we're from, as Hindus, we've all grown up hearing those songs.

12:14To answer your question, yeah, I believe it's bringing us together and it's bridging those things that we think identify us as unique. And that's part of the reason why we come to Temple too, to feel that link to our ancestral home in a foreign country, especially for so many of us who have not been to India or so many generations ago might have come from India. So we've lost that kind of connection with India over the years, and now that's coming back through bhajans.

12:52It's believed that bhajans have been sung for at least 1 ,500 years in India.

13:04It began with the Pagli movement, making devotional music accessible to all classes of society, having previously been reserved for royal courts. Singing styles have evolved, but also the instruments. Could this be what is appealing to people of different ages and backgrounds? I think that's one way. But I think the most important thing for bhajans is the voice. Because I love instruments. I play a bunch and any time we do programs, I try to bring in different Western, Indian classical. But those are kind of like the sauce or the spices that you add into the food. But without salt, there's no taste.

13:44I think the voice is the key to the bhajans. Because the emotion that a voice can carry, while I believe in the power of music and instruments to communicate, I don't think there's any instrument that can equal what the voice can carry.

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15:58Make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you. Turns and limitations apply. Subject to approval and eligibility. Built cars are issued by Column N.A., member FDIC, pursuant to license from Mastercar International Incorporated. You're listening to the documentary on the BBC World Service. I'm Rajko Bilku, and for heart and soul, I'm talking to two young musicians from either side of the Atlantic, Bhavik Haria and Gauri Madhuri Dhanraj, about why they're so keen to keep Hindu devotional songs, or bhajans, relevant to young Hindus and Jains around the world.

16:42We've heard how Pavik and Gauri were raised with bhajans that served as not just a form of worship for their grandparents, but also a link to their ancestral home of India. But what is it about them that they find so appealing? So the love for me grew from beginning to understand what they mean and how powerful they are. Diving deeper into what these bhajans mean, I think, has enhanced my love for it. It's made it deeper and it's created this beautiful connection, which I now have the honour of sharing. In some ways, I think bhajans and slash music is medicine. I think it's a great way to pause, to reflect.

17:19I think it's a great way to stay connected with your heritage, with your faith, with your religion. and that's whether you're religious or spiritual. So you don't have to be religious. Having that connection with coming with understanding what they mean, having that connection is really, really beautiful. So I think it's something that we all need to keep up. Otherwise, for generations to come, it will fade away. Are you religious? I'm not religious. I mean, I'm Jain myself. I think I'm spiritual. I love visiting the temple. I love praying, but I'd call myself spiritual. What does spirituality mean to you?

17:52So spirituality for me, I think, is like being a good person, following and doing what you're meant to be doing. And for me, it's doing what I believe in. So is it maybe more about values and principles for you rather than following a doctrinated faith? Yeah, yeah, that's correct. Being a good person. Are people surprised when you say that you're not religious? I think so. But I think it's this generation. Like, you know, you can enjoy bhajans and you don't necessarily have to go to the mandir or the temple, you know, religiously. You can listen to bhajans and not be religious. And people could class being religious as different things.

18:29I think as long as you're listening and enjoying for the right reasons, because spiritual could mean a lot of things. Even musically, like it could be a bhajan, it could be a kawali. It's still spiritual. Gauri, who has been raised by Hindu priests or pundits, has an alternative perspective. Religion is not a label for me. It's like a way of life. There are, of course, the rituals and the vidhi that we follow as Hindus, like certain prayers you do, pujas, festivals you'll celebrate, especially because I work at this Hindu temple that my parents have built. I'm inculcated in that all the time. But Hinduism for me and for all of the people that I teach or my students or the people in the temple, it's more about giving thanks and living selflessly, doing seva or volunteerism, and trying to make the world a better place for you and for the people around you.

19:23That's like the basis of Hinduism. So I try to do that through music or through teaching and try to blend that kind of seva with our religious traditions. So I think, yeah, that's what Hinduism sort of means to me. So for you, singing pudgeons is a form of seva, selfless service. Yeah, I'm lucky that I get to sing in the temple all of the time. Other musicians, like we have to look for shows and gigs, right? But the temple, Hindu temples and all places of worship are where people come to feel safe or they come for a haven or for some kind of escape from the real world. so I find that when you give them bhajans it's like giving them therapy, peace, love, quiet in this very very busy and difficult world that we live in so in my little way that's my form of seva.

20:15I first came across Bhavik when my friends in the UK were telling me how excited they are to attend his bhajan jam. Although I'm not Hindu they knew it would appeal to me because I have a love for diverse music and from the get-go I was hooked.

20:36I'm attending a jam in Birmingham. The musicians are on stage. There's amazing energy in the room. Around 200 people all with hands in the air singing along in a state of euphoria. Many of them are out of their seats dancing and you can see why this has really taken on to young people. Religious songs accompanied by huge energy and vitality, something you probably wouldn't have seen generations before. But all that euphoria begins with some calm. So if it's comfortable for you, we invite you to close your eyes. Take a slow, deep breath in and gently let it out. When I came to the Birmingham concert, you started with some meditation.

21:18I was looking around and everybody was just so into it. everybody had their eyes closed they were listening to you they were following your instructions you're on stage you're seeing hundreds if not thousands of people in front of you they've got their eyes closed they're immersed in what you're saying in your music how does that feel it feels incredible I'm so grateful to like this this family that that we've built life today we all have so many distractions you know even just now I looked over at my phone like it's it's so easy to just have another thought come into your mind and push you aside so we thought it would be a really beautiful way to bring everyone into the room try and make everyone be as present as possible but for people to to come and to to experience that is is a real blessing for me I'm so I'm so grateful and honored that I can share this experience with all of these people you also talk about sometimes what these bhajans are trying to say you know whether it's about karma karma or about ego how do you keep your ego in check when you have people paying to see you coming you know with a full family does it sometimes get to your head how do you keep yourself in check I think the moment I come off stage I get to meet everyone and that's the the best part of it for me and then I I go home and I sit and I think okay what can we do better like I don't think I'm amazed like I think I think what I'm doing is I'm blessed to be doing what I'm doing I think for me it comes from within like I'm doing it for myself and the byproduct is people are enjoying it and it's a blessing to be able to share that with others so you're there with gratitude yeah so much gratitude so much and going home and and then i sit and it takes me two three hours to like come down from this super high that i've built and then i sit there and i look at all these stories that people have tagged me on all these messages like some of them are essays but i sit there and i read them sometimes i cry but sometimes i'm just like our music has helped someone our music has done this or has helped this person go through x y and z and it is gratitude is the right word gauri sings at her temple teaches music and performs concerts to audiences that sometimes number in the thousands but in hinduism ego is something to be kept in check and i want to understand how she stays grounded when so many eyes are on her that is a good question and what i think more musicians should ask ourselves because it is difficult.

23:42You're on a stage and you're seeing these bhajans about Bhagwan and in front of you are all these people who might not be looking at Bhagwan but they're looking at you. And a lot of times people follow the messenger instead of the message. They get attached to the singer or the pundit or the guru and they focus more on that and less on what the guru or the singer is trying to convey. So for me, it is very difficult because Abhima and pride, it's so hard to keep in check. But I always try to remind myself that I'm just here in this position because I've been blessed with the opportunity and the privilege.

24:23And if it wasn't me, it would have been somebody else. Like I'm replaceable in this whole scheme of things. So my mission is to just do the best with whatever little time I've got, whatever resources I've got. And if I don't do it, somebody else will. So I'm just another instrument of Bhagavan to be used as he wishes. And when my time ends, hopefully I have done my part to train others to take over. Because the end goal is never my fame or my prestige. It's that this dharma, these bhajans will live on. And with or without me, that will happen. How have bhajans shaped you as a person? in incredible ways I guess when I was younger I wouldn't really feel it because you know when you're growing up you learn them because you have to you sing them because you have to and then suddenly you hit a certain age and a switch kind of flips in your brain and now you're doing it because you want to because you love to so I think that's happened to me and now bhajans because they've really grown the love in me for my religion, for my dharma.