A space to party and pray: Kavita Paudwal on kirtan clubbing trend

New Delhi, May 2 (PTI) Think of it as the dal chawal you crave after a week of fast food -- familiar and impossible to replace. That is how singer Kavita Paudwal describes kirtan clubbing, a format that layers traditional devotional music over contemporary instrumentation and presents it in a party-like setting.

Kirtan clubbing, or bhajan clubbing, is quietly becoming one of the more striking cultural phenomena among Indian youth, and Kavita, who has spent decades singing devotional music, said it was perhaps inevitable.

"Kirtan clubbing is basically a space where you do kirtans and really feel good about yourself. It's a space where you can party. It's like a little piece of home that you left behind and you always crave to go back to. It's like the dal chawal you want to have after eating fast food and junk," Kavita told PTI in an interview.

"Gen Z is used to listening to K-pop or a Taylor Swift song and, God willing, someday we'll be able to give it the same kind of production but as of now, we're trying to give it the same kind of sound, but the soul remains that of a kirtan," she added.

Daughter of renowned playback singer Anuradha Paudwal, Kavita has been performing since childhood and brings over two decades of stage experience to the format.

Now she is taking that legacy in a new direction with Kirtan Klub -- a travelling, high-energy experience that is neither satsang nor clubbing, but something deliberately in between.

Bhajans, aartis, chants and mantras are layered over guitars, drums, dhols and manjiras, giving devotional content a pace, pulse and production sensibility that younger ears are already attuned to.

"The idea is that even when it's kirtan clubbing, it's kirtan first. So, you can't let go of that sanctity, which is why we would like people to be conservative. We would like people to have that little bit of restraint, which keeps it under control.

"We want this to be a space where the entire family can be together. When there's a family, there's a little bit of restraint. You are a little conscious. This is a good thing; it's not a bad thing," she said.

What makes it work is its democratic quality, added Kavita.

Unlike a conventional concert with a clear performer-audience divide, kirtan clubbing is participatory -- closer in spirit to a 'Mata ka Jagrata', the vibrant north Indian tradition she grew up with.

"Mata ka Jagrata is very energetic. They have a way of pulling you in because everybody is making so much noise and everybody is dancing and enjoying it. So, we do it as well. That kind of performance is something that I grew up with. A lot of it happens in the north. After seeing that, I realised that it's all very celebratory. It doesn't have to be quiet and sombre," she said.

The growing popularity among Gen Z is something Kavita finds both unsurprising and encouraging.

She believes young Indians who have travelled or studied abroad return with a sharper hunger for cultural grounding.

"When you're living in a foreign country and you're interacting with the people, it's very different from experiencing it through social media. That's when you realise that you need to have a part of yourself which is very strong," she said.

"It's wonderful that they want to know what their country is all about. They want to know stories, they want to know the culture, they want to know why this happens, which was not the case 20-30 years ago. People wouldn't ask questions. Now they ask questions and when they find answers, they're thrilled. You can't pull them out of that belief system once they're convinced," she added.

Kavita plans to take format across India with an ambitious plan of 52 shows a year. The first show kicks off in Mumbai on Sunday at Ajiwasan Hall, Juhu.

"Every state in India has its own style of devotional music, influenced by its language and traditions. Our first show has something called 'Krishna from North to South', which reflects how the same deity is worshipped in different ways, with different names, offerings, and rituals. But the feeling behind it never changes, and that's what Kirtan Clubbing is all about," she said.