Striking chords of devotion

BHUBANESWAR: Two months back when Keonjhar’s Abhilipsa Panda sat down with fellow singer Jeetu Sharma to record ‘Har Har Sambhu’, little did she realise that her rendition of the ‘Shiva Stotra’ would go viral with more than 7.5 million views. Not only is the song the most heard on YouTube, but it is also one of the top trending songs on Instagram reels today.

“We made the bhajan with dubstep beats to give a western feel to it and make the Shiva Stotra appeal to the younger generation. It feels very good that the song is today being appreciated by people from across all generations and religions,” said Abhilipsa, who has become a social media sensation now. 

Hailing from Barbil, Jeetu and Abhlipsa released the song in April this year on the former’s YouTube channel, ahead of the Shravana month. “Although belonging to the same place, we had never met before. Jeetu had seen some of my videos on the YouTube channel of a TV channel where I was a reality show (Odisha’s Super Singer) participant and he reached out for the collaboration,” said the young singer who has just finished her Plus Two.

Daughter of Ashok Panda, ex-Army personnel, and Puspashree Pati Panda, a trained Odissi dancer, Abhilipsa with her raw and high-pitched vocals can sing in eight different languages. A trained Odissi and Hindustani classical singer, Abhilipsa has always been experimental in her singing choices. At a time when young singers are going the Bollywood way, she chooses to focus on devotional songs and has released many musical videos before ‘Har Har Sambhu’ happened. Layering traditional Hindu ‘bhajans’ with modern instruments was something she thinks is important to make devotional songs more accessible to youth. “This is how we can expand or contemporise the devotional music genre while retaining the essence of a ‘bhajan’ or ‘kirtan’ intact,” says Abhilipsa.

Along with her sister Akanksha Panda, she recently released ‘Sawan Aayo’, again dedicated to Lord Shiva, which has got 1.9 million views so far. Besides, another song ‘Manzil Kedarnath’ that she has sung with Jeetu last month is getting popular.“Music runs in my family. My grandfather was a popular musician in Western Odisha and he inspired me to learn music,” said Abhilipsa who recorded her first Odia song ‘Saraga Ra Fula Ame’ at the age of 10.  On Friday, she met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who wished her the best in her endeavours.“Delighted to meet the immensely talented Abhilipsa Panda today. Her popular devotional track ‘Har Har Shambhu’ has struck a chord with the masses. May she continue to enthral the nation with her voice,” the Minister tweeted after meeting her.