<p>A group of friends and hobby musicians in Bengaluru is giving a contemporary spin to kirtan — gatherings for devotional singing, usually held in temples. Instead, the group performs kirtans with world music arrangements. They held their first session at a creativity centre in HSR Layout last month. They call their group RAD Kirtan Jams — the name borrows Internet slang, with ‘rad’ meaning cool.</p>.<p>On December 14, for their first public performance, they played Indian instruments such as the harmonium, tabla and khol alongside guitars, djembes, darbuka and keyboards. They had rearranged traditional compositions, including ‘Bam bam hare har’, ‘Radhe Radhe Govinda’, and ‘Om namah Shivay’, with layered instrumentation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Founder Gaurav Gupta says the session drew around 25 participants, ranging from college students to artists, yoga practitioners, IT professionals and musicians. Gupta said many attendees were looking for a break from their screen-heavy routines. Their next performance is coming up this month. The group has also received invitations from about five people to perform at their homes.</p>.More live shows are hiring sign language interpreters.<p class="bodytext">A marketing and branding professional, Gupta said these chanting meetups are not positioned as religious events. Instead, they focus on “grounding, music, and collective participation” in what he describes as a “modern and open setting.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">The idea took shape in February 2024, when Gupta hosted a kirtan at his home in Domlur for around 15 people. The initiative paused after the death of his close friend, a yoga teacher, in March, but was revived last month following encouragement from friends.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">Visit @radkirtanjams on Instagram.</span></p>
<p>A group of friends and hobby musicians in Bengaluru is giving a contemporary spin to kirtan — gatherings for devotional singing, usually held in temples. Instead, the group performs kirtans with world music arrangements. They held their first session at a creativity centre in HSR Layout last month. They call their group RAD Kirtan Jams — the name borrows Internet slang, with ‘rad’ meaning cool.</p>.<p>On December 14, for their first public performance, they played Indian instruments such as the harmonium, tabla and khol alongside guitars, djembes, darbuka and keyboards. They had rearranged traditional compositions, including ‘Bam bam hare har’, ‘Radhe Radhe Govinda’, and ‘Om namah Shivay’, with layered instrumentation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Founder Gaurav Gupta says the session drew around 25 participants, ranging from college students to artists, yoga practitioners, IT professionals and musicians. Gupta said many attendees were looking for a break from their screen-heavy routines. Their next performance is coming up this month. The group has also received invitations from about five people to perform at their homes.</p>.More live shows are hiring sign language interpreters.<p class="bodytext">A marketing and branding professional, Gupta said these chanting meetups are not positioned as religious events. Instead, they focus on “grounding, music, and collective participation” in what he describes as a “modern and open setting.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">The idea took shape in February 2024, when Gupta hosted a kirtan at his home in Domlur for around 15 people. The initiative paused after the death of his close friend, a yoga teacher, in March, but was revived last month following encouragement from friends.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">Visit @radkirtanjams on Instagram.</span></p>