Several temples hold bhajan sessions on Saturdays, with some traditions continuing for over a century.
Hyderabad: This year for the Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrations, the Bhagyanagar Utsav Samithi is promoting bhajans at pandals in an effort to revive their old glory and to wean audiences away from film songs and the like.
Several temples hold bhajan sessions on Saturdays, with some traditions continuing for over a century. These bhajan teams are made up of members spanning generations. Uppal Srinath, a singer at the Veeranjaneya Temple, where bhajans are performed every Saturday by a 50-member team, said: “Bhajans used to be very popular, with almost every temple hosting them on Saturdays. Today, the younger generation treats Saturdays as weekends to enjoy, leading to a pub culture. Once bhajans return to all events, youth will be drawn back to our culture and traditions.”
He added that many temples installing Ganesh idols, as well as veteran mandap organisers, continue to conduct bhajans during immersions, taking out processions accompanied by devotional songs.
The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti, which is strongly promoting traditional celebrations, has announced bhajan competitions at the divisional level. Samiti general secretary Dr Ravinutala Shashidhar said: “This generation has forgotten about bhajans. The samiti wants to reintroduce and restore the bhajan culture in society. All mandaps are being encouraged, and the state government’s cultural department is supporting this promotion.”
At the Sri Rama Bhakta Samajam in Upparguda, Kurmaguda, bhajans have been performed at the Sri Rama temple for nearly two centuries. The organisers said the group has around 200 members, and the best performances are witnessed during Sri Rama Navami, when bhajans are sung every day for 16 days.
Niranjan Yadav, vice-president of the Bhajan Committee, said: “Every Saturday, from 9.30 pm until midnight, bhajans are performed using instruments such as the harmonium, dholak, shehnai, domka, chakka bhajana, and chan chan. Generations of families have joined this tradition. At this temple, all festivals include bhajans. Even during Ganesh Nimarjan, processions are taken out with devotional songs. From the Nizam era, we have also held bhajans during Sadar in Diwali.”
