The rise of bhajan clubbing: how young India is reimagining spirituality

Rehmat Khubchandani’s hands are up. She lets out a delighted ‘oohoo’ as she emerges from the crowd. The music is upbeat, with a club-like energy, but the song is one bhajan. Some women dance around it, while those who remain seated clap with their eyes closed.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” says Rehmat, as she catches her breath from dancing. “It feels like a party, but with the atmosphere you are connected to up there.” She points upwards, towards the sky. She – along with many members of the Good Deeds Club in Chennai, curated by Apsara Reddy – has just experienced the latest viral trend: ‘bhajan clubbing’.

Track record

By introducing a nightclub-like atmosphere, minus the alcohol, bhajan clubbing is catching on in many Indian cities, including Delhi, Calcutta and Bengaluru, as well as in the US. Participants skew toward Gen-Z, who enjoy the sense of community it brings, a world away from the lonely endless scroll of social media.

“It’s like entering a world of trance,” explains Mandira Bansal, “It may be a Gen-Z concept, but it’s amazing. Why else would we go to one like that traces?” Mandira just shook a leg for an energetic performance of ‘Dama Dam Mast Qalandar’, a Sufi spiritual qawwali. There are many more spiritual songs – including some celebrating gods such as Shiva, Rama and Muruga – but the atmosphere is very different from when these are traditionally sung in places of worship.

While bands like Backstage Siblings and Keshavam are becoming popular for this style of concerts, singers from Chennai are not far behind. Take Sai Vignesh, a classically trained singer whose rendition of ‘Varaha Roopam’ (Kantara) makes an impression. Together with singer Saindhavi, Sai Vignesh’s renditions of bhajans and Sufi chants keep the audience on their feet. “I’m singing bhajans for years, but the word bhajan clubbing will take some getting used to,” he smiles. “You don’t even have to use the full bhajan to enjoy this. The most important motto is to bring people together.”

Here spirituality is about connection and celebration. This is a new language of devotion, and it is being reinforced thanks to the messages and posts on social media – everyone loves to spread the word about a good party.

“We grew up listening to bhajans, but today’s generation may not be too exposed to these songs,” says Saindhavi, popular for both her hit film tracks and classical concerts. “Now they are wrapped in a different soundscape, but the divinity is still the same.”