DHARMASTHALA: An endeavour by Sri
Kshetra Dharmasthala to use bhajans as a ‘social therapeutic’ is gaining currency among the youth and stronger with each passing year.
Now into its 20th year, the kshetra in past 19 years has trained 3,328 people from 1,760
bhajana mandalis with the weeklong 20th year bhajan training that got underway here on Sunday clocking participation of 272 people, including 178 men and 94 women, from 12 districts of the state.
What has warmed the hearts of the organisers is the fact that despite the strict regimen that the seven-day workshop puts the participants through, their numbers have been on the rise. Mamatha Rao, secretary of bhajan workshop committee, says the participation of youth in this annual event is an indicator of how the youth are still spiritually inclined. It is also an indicator that contrary to popular belief, GenNext still is not totally cut off from all things spiritual, she avers.
The workshop that starts at 6am and ends at 10pm, while introducing participants to nuances of different types of bhajan singing, also introduces them to yoga and talks on religious aspects of an individual’s life. Experts teach about basics of ‘tala’ and ‘shruthi’. Training on ‘nagara bhajan’ (going round the kshetra singing bhajans) and ‘nrithya bhajan’(dancing while singing bhajans) places special demands on a person physically and yoga helps them here, she says.
Average profile of participants indicates that most are self-employed and agriculturists and hail from districts closer home from old Mysuru and Malnad regions to districts from Mumbai-Karnataka region as well. Fact that people are willing to spare a week’s time to be trained in different aspects of bhajans and thereby connect to their spiritual side and willingness to travel from places such as Dharwad is an indicator of popularity of this workshop, she adds.
It was in 2016 that the Kshetra under the guidance of its dharmadhikari D
Veerendra Heggade decided to broad base the area of training which till then was restricted to participants from DK, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu. While bulk of the participants even now hail from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, the workshop now has participants from Shivamogga, Bengaluru Rural, Mandya and
Dharwad district, Mamatha points.
A booklet on dos and don’ts not only guides the participants during their stay for the workshop, but also for their subsequent lives. There is regular exchange of information on bhajan-related topics on WhatsApp groups the participants have formed and also through Yasho Deepika, a newsletter. The workshop also doubles up as an individual development programme through the medium of bhajans and also helps build qualities of being a team player, she adds.
