He sang compositions of Mirabai, Adi Shankaracharya, Rasik and others, all in praise of Krishna.

The concert was held at the magnificent Gaiety Theatre.Ĭelebrated vocalist from the Mewati gharana, Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar from Pune regaled the packed audience for nearly two hours with several of his much loved pieces, which were very well received by an audience starved for true classical music. The State Government of Himachal Pradesh, through its Department of Art Language and Culture organised an evening of Krishna bhajans to celebrate the festival. Janmashtami is celebrated with great fervour in the hill town of Simla, with “jhankis” being taken from one temple to another. However, the main aim now was to rouse devotion in the listeners rather than to entertain the Lord, and Janmashtami is undoubtedly an important occasion for Haveli sangeet to be sung. Later, as the old haveli sangeetkars died away, the names of the Lord were chanted in the same Dhrupad style. Most of the compositions were made by the “ashtachaap” (eight) kavis of whom Surdas is perhaps the most famous. These were sung in the traditional Dhrupad style, in authentic ragas, in strict “laya”. Part of the ceremonial included vocal compositions being sung to wake the Lord up, entertain Him while He got dressed, ate, and then lull Him to sleep. Vaishnavs of the Vallabh sampradaya (followers of the tradition of 15th Century Saint, Goswami Vallabhacharya) established a strict formal temple ceremonial of ritual offerings and prayer. In the old havelis of the Goswamis of Mathura (Dwarkadhish) and Nathdwara (Shrinathji) temples were established, perhaps for security reasons. One way of celebrating the Lord’s birth is through “kirtan”. The birth of Shri Krishna, adored by millions, is celebrated in many ways.

Shrinathji morning bhajan