Kamal Ghorui
Devotional music has always been an important part of Indian culture. In recent years, this genre of music has seen a significant revival, particularly among younger audiences. Aarti Khetarpal, an artist who is reshaping the traditional genre of Bhajan music by merging it with modern trends, weighs in on this changing landscape. She says, “In my point of view, the spiritual algorithm merging with the global social media algorithm is what transformed mainstream digital culture today.” “Just like people are getting Bollywood, Hollywood, and cringe content, they’re also giving importance and equal time to spiritual content, which naturally is transforming their mindset, and they are listening to spiritually meaningful conversations in a very adaptable short-format video. So this definitely is the major transition reason of the generation,” continues Khetarpal.
Aarti Khetarpal says we can never lose the raw, community-driven essence of Bhajans
“Because of the rise of social media, YouTube, and live stream, we can never lose community-driven bhajans and raw bhajans because even to date in temple towns and in traditional communities, women and men stick to traditional lyrics and traditional tunes only,” shares Aarti.She adds, “So, while things are getting polished and global, I know for a fact community-driven bhajans will never go away, but yes, packaging that same raw community-driven lyrics, which may be outstanding in a temple, when recorded with proper technology in a studio or on a video, can be preserved for years and years and forever, so technology is just enhancing it instead of taking from it.”
Aarti Khetarpal on creating a balance of innovation and the emotional core of devotional music
Devotional music is rooted in emotion; the more global it gets, the more polished it becomes. There is a higher risk that innovation will take over the sentimental core. To avoid the same, Aarti follows an approach. She says, “I do proper research on the lyrics I’m about to sing, and whenever there is a new composition, I try to listen to katha from bona fide saints to understand the emotion and depth of that, and I also get it proofread from senior spiritual scholars and guides before giving it out to the world.”
The future of devotional music
“I feel devotional music is here to take over the world. It is already entering mainstream; the number of spiritual or devotional music is higher than that of conventional genres; it is widely played; it is used in wellness centres; and it is used for cultural programmes. It is being used for political rallies. It is being used for youth gatherings, so I know for a fact that devotional music is here to stay and transform the entire music space,” she concluded, reflecting on where she sees bhajan and other forms of devotional music in the next 5 to 10 years.
