Nandagovindam Bhajans launches the first bhajan clubbing event in Kerala
The auditorium was packed with youngsters, sitting cross-legged on the floor. As the music started playing, they began swaying, singing and clapping their hands. Once
The auditorium was packed with youngsters, sitting cross-legged on the floor. As the music started playing, they began swaying, singing and clapping their hands. Once the tempo picked up, they were on their feet, chanting in chorus and dancing. Those were scenes from the first bhajan clubbing event in the State, ROOTS, an initiative of Nandagovindam Bhajans, the group which has redefined devotional music scene with their blend of traditional bhajans with popular music. Bhajan clubbing, a trend that is fast catching on showcases traditional bhajans in a pub-like atmosphere, without alcohol. ROOTS, a ticketed event for those in the age group of 15 and 35, held at Uday Samudra Convention Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, saw a turnout of over 750 people. “The response was overwhelming. Honestly, we were worried about how it would turn out. But the energy of the crowd rubbed off on us from the first song itself and we forgot that we had been standing for over three hours, which is a first for us. We were banking on the fact that Nandagovindam has a huge fan base among youngsters,” says Naveen Mohan, one of the lead singers of the group. He adds that last year Thiruvananthapuram hosted the first programme of Bhajan Connect as well, an interactive ticketed programme, which has now become a premium event of the group, with shows being held across Kerala and venues in other States.
ROOTS, he says, is an initiative to take the youth closer to their roots through music. The playlist was designed in such a way that the audience were made part of a survey — the songs were interspersed with some pertinent multiple-choice questions on how they perceived life. They had to scan a QR code displayed on an LED wall with their phones and mark their answers. “The results showed that the problems were common, comforting them, telling them that they were not alone. That was a better way to connect with them instead of sermonising,” says Naveen. The crowd had a surprise in store — actor, director, singer Vineeth Sreenivasan. He walked in singing ‘Kripakari’ from Aravindante Athithikal, followed by ‘Swethambarahare devi’ from Thattathin Marayathu, in which he experimented with the rendition. Upon audience’s request, which the team was obviously prepared for, he sang his hit number, ‘Omal kanmani’ from Naran, but with a different orchestration. The group, 20 of them including Vineeth, in their trademark colour-coordinated attire [this time in black shirts and red dhotis], presented a bunch of their popular songs. “We didn’t change the core of our songs. Instead we worked on the sound since this is a generation that expects high quality soundscape at a live event. Besides our regular set of instruments, we added lead and bass guitar. They worked in unison with our keyboardist Sidharth Sankar who did the programming,” he says, adding, “Initially we had decided upon a purely Western style arrangement.
The BriefWire