Opinion: Nostalgia, Devotion And The New Bhajan Wave In Kerala

Is the spontaneous expression of devotion, nostalgia, and collective cultural memory something to be viewed with suspicion?

Indian classical music is generally understood to have two related genres or streams: Hindustani music and Carnatic music. Hindustani music developed largely in North India, drawing influences from Sufi and Persian musical traditions. Carnatic music, on the other hand, evolved in South India and was deeply influenced by the Bhakti movement.

Although South India is regarded as the primary arena of Carnatic music, Kerala’s contribution to this tradition has been comparatively limited. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh have contributed immensely to the growth and richness of the genre.

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Purandara Dasa, one of the most important figures in Carnatic music and widely regarded as one of its founding fathers, lived in Karnataka. The Trinity of Carnatic music—Thyagaraja Swami, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Shastri—are more closely associated with Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Though stalwarts like Swati Tirunal hailed from Kerala, compared to the other three states, Kerala’s contribution to the tradition was relatively limited and somewhat discontinuous, marked by significant gaps in the historical development of the genre. Kerala possessed its own rich traditions of music and theatre, such as Sopana Sangeetham and Kathakali, and remained largely self-sufficient within these artistic forms. Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam were closely associated with temples and a religious atmosphere.

Since Carnatic music was influenced by the Bhakti movement from its inception, it became strongly linked with temples and Hindu devotional traditions. However, this association was not as prominent in Kerala as it was in other parts of South India.

Musical bhajans in temples or devotional groups, rendered in a classical tradition, are largely unheard of in Kerala. Bhajan mandalis or namasankeerthanam groups, devotional gatherings that come together to sing, experience music, and participate in associated rituals, including the singing of abhangs and devotional hymns in a classical style, are not common in Kerala. The region had its own distinctive form of devotional singing, Sopana Sangeetham; however, it is not intended for collective choral........

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