Bhakti Sangeet Utsav – echoes of devotion

A three-day music festival, honouring the rich culture of devotional music, kickstarts on Friday at Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

Organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad, the art and cultural wing of the Delhi Government, the Bhakti Sangeet Utsav has an unwavering focus on showcasing how artists transform into spiritual channels, capturing the spirit of devotion in their melodic renditions.The first day of the festival will kick off with a performance by Vidhi Sharma, soulful voice, voice behind Bhor Bhayi Aarti with a subscriber base of 263k on youtube. This will be followed by a performance by Hemant Brijwasi. The winner of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs’ at just eleven years old and has sung many devotional songs including the much loved ‘Lage nahi Kiya sanware‘.

The evening will end with Sawani Mudgal’s performance. The young and dynamic vocalist known for her album ‘Nache Thumak Thumak Ghanshyam‘.

The second day of the event will witness an array of artists starting with  Prahlad Singh Tipanya, one of the most captivating folk singers of Kabir in India today. He sings and explains Kabir bhajans in the folk style of the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.

The second performance of the day will be by a well-known vocalist, Rashmi Agarwal who is known for her devotional Music. Some festivals she performed recently in India include the Kabir Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj where she sang “Dheere Dheere Re Manaa Dheere Sab Kuch Hoye, Maali Sheenche Sau Ghada Ritu Aaye Phal Hoye”. She is the only Indian woman to win the Grand Prix Award at the prestigious International World Music Festival in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The day will conclude with Brijesh Mishra’s presentation. Brijesh Mishra, a disciple of Pandit Surendra Mohan Mishra of Banaras Gharana, is an accomplished and versatile vocalist, Recipient of the Yash Kala Award.

The last day of the festival will start with the soulful performance by Mamta Joshi,, knownfor her bhakti songs like Saare Bolo Jai Bholenath and live performances in Kashi Vishwanath, Haridwar and other spiritual destinations of India.

This will be followed by another beautiful presentation by Vidya Shah who began her musical training from Shubha Mudgal and Mujahid Hussain Khan. She had earlier sung many Kabir Bhajans like ‘Mann lagi mera yaar fikri mein‘ and was also a part of Krishna-bhakti concert held in Delhi.

The festival will conclude with Sharma Bandhu’s magical performance. The doyens of “Ram Darbar ” (Lord Rama’s Court) Style of Singing “Ram Charit Manas” The Four Real Brothers’ Pandit Gopal Sharma, Shukdev Sharma, Kaushlendra Sharma, and Raghvendra Sharma have taken the World of Devotional Music by Storm. The best part of their Bhajan and Ram Katha Singing is the Interspersing of it with Heart Touching Commentary. They bring with them the Rich Tradition of Shri Ram Darbar Music.

“This festival is a celebration of the profound connection between music and spirituality. We aim to create spiritual vibrations through music that will resonate within the audience for a very long time on this enchanting journey. We are glad to present a lineup of exceptionally talented artists, and their renditions promise to transport you to a realm of profound spiritual awakening and musical bliss,” Dr Monica Priyadarshini, Secretary of Sahitya Kala Parishad, said.