Earlier this year, Bhavik Haria's “Keep Bhajans Alive” crowdsourcing campaign hit 100 per cent of its target within just 14 days of launching.
He is using the mega success of the campaign, which raised £18,000, to put together a first-of-its-kind seven-track devotional fusion bhajan, or devotional music, album. Bringing together musical elements from both traditional Indian and Western cultures, he hopes to inspire the next generation of diaspora youth and spread the love of bhajans.
“For example, a traditional dhun (tune), combined with some melodic drum n bass or a bhajan fused with a qawwali vibe,” he explains.
Diwali for us all will look very different this year. With London entering the second tier of lockdown and restrictions beginning to tighten yet again across the UK, Bhavik is hoping family celebrations over Zoom will still be just as colourful, full of mithai and music, nonetheless.
For the ‘iGlobal’ mega launch event DiwaliFest 2020, the musician will be taking over Saturday evening’s programming on November 7 to celebrate the festival of lights with the Global Indian community with a unique “Bhajan Tour” across India. Traversing through Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and the south of India, the immersive journey will feature singers, renowned artistes and special guests from around the world.
In his own inimitable style, Bhavik’s takeover will look at bhajans and devotional music in their varied forms and expressions over the centuries.
As part of the whistle-stop tour, viewers will be invited to stop over in Punjab to hear a shabad by Vibs Bhatia; Uttar Pradesh, the birth place of Lord Krishna, to hear a kirtan by Bhaktivedanta Manor regular Madhvi Mujli; and Gujarat, where playback singer Himali Vyas Naik will be tuning in live from Mumbai. The evening show will also feature music by Drupti Vaja as well as the youngest singer in the line-up, Siyani.
The live stream will feature as part of iGlobal’s first-ever Diwali Festival, the biggest celebration of the British Indian diaspora. It promises to be a show like no other – bringing together 100,000 participants for a riveting three-day programme of festivities, topical discussions and arts and cultural performances.
A cutting-edge virtual platform will not only bring together live, free entertainment but will lay out a whole virtual world to explore, complete with Diwali markets and food stalls – all in a Covid-secure setting from the comfort and safety of your home.
*Register here for the #InspireTogether DiwaliFest 2020 to catch Bhavik’s special session for ‘iGlobal’ and much, much more.