In this Kaliyuga, Vedas have prescribed three most essential
requisites to develop and propagate devotion. They are Satsangam, Saranagati
and Namasankeerthanam. Satsangam is the quality of righteous devotees to mingle rapturously, rather elatedly, with similar
-minded people. In fact, out of the four
Yugas in order, it is firmly believed by the vedic erudite school of thought
that Kaliyuga is the best yuga for practising boundless devotion. Devotion,
done with utmost selfless passion can strike the divine chords of all deities
and move them to shower blessings to the salvation- seekers. Then, Saranagati
is the final stage of absolute unconditional surrender to the Almighty Lord or
to reach the ultimate destination. Salvation! Prahlada and Markandeya are classic
examples of selfless devotion. Ultimately, we come to the conclusion that
Bhakti or devotion to the Almighty God demands Chitha Sudhi or purity of mind,
a sine qua non for spiritual uplift. Bhakti, Jnana and Vairagya are the
essential requisites to tread the path of God -realisation. The first and foremost condition is absolute
unconditional surrender to the Almighty!
As the devotee progressively moves ahead, he finds that
besides Satsangam and Saranagati, there is another potential sphere of devotion
by name Namasankeertanam which can stir any mind to dance in spiritual
inebriation. We have heard that Sant Tukaram, Namdeo and Janabhai who, with
their intense devotion and unconditional dedication, have experienced the manifestation
of God’s presence in every object they behold. They relinquished all material
pleasures in the world and knew only devotion and dedication for the pursuit of
spiritual activities. Devotion is, therefore, the only option for spiritual
uplift and attainment of salvation. The very purpose of human birth and the
very purpose of life is to achieve this objectof fulfilment or accomplishment
of life. Then only, the very purpose of mission on earth will be complete. Only
a peaceful, contented and dedicated person with no expectation of fruit of his
action in return, can be successful in spiritual life.
Of all spiritual methods, therefore, Namasankeertanam, the
art of singing and praising the Lord’s grace and resplendence, in group, is
emerging as the most powerful and important way to propitiate the deities and
therefore, bhajan is gaining remarkable momentum in this Kali Yuga! Now it has
become an integral part of our culture and is practised so vigorously in all
temples, social circles and spiritual centres.
In this pursuit of Namasankeertanam, many vocalists and classical
songsters emerged and thus the culture of group- singing in praise of the Lord
has become an integral part of our social life. This particular genre or art
has generated more enthusiasm among the people of all ages. In our daily life,
every material activity or experience, whatever it be, one easily loses
interest in everything after a particular stage and everything becomes humdrum,
when the initial enthusiasm slowly withers away. But, the only activity which
every normal individual would never get tired of, but aspires for incessant
involvement, is DEVOTION, which he cherishes with unremitting passion and
dedication, while treading the path of God- realisation. Devotion and
dedication are, therefore, the true blessings of God and not anybody’s choice.
In these series of Feature Articles, I wish to analyse
comprehensively, the spiritual services being rendered by the several Bhajan
Samrats of Mumbai. There are hundreds of Bhajan groups here, functioning in
their areas and presenting their soulful performances in various languages in
their respective areas with elan and éclair and the devotees listening and
singing in tune with the singers rhythmically. Here, my humble attempt is to
pick up some of our familiar Tamil Bhajan Samrats from various parts of Mumbai,
who have specialised in this genre with rich classical background and are
presenting their sterling performances not only in India, but also abroad. Now
let us peep into their challenging music journey and much celebrated
performances one by one.
By virtue of his sonorous voice and historic
musicperformances all over Mumbai as well as other parts of
A thumbnail sketch of his life and bhajan renditions
Shri D H Viswanathan, popularly known as BOMBAY HARI, the
legendary Bhajan Samrat of Mumbai, by virtue of his splendid singing styles and
qualities, has become the Bhajan Icon of MUMBAI, a magnanimous gift of Mumba
Devi, in true sense. His unassuming nature, flawless, effortless and
instantaneous presentation or alaapan of the keertan in the prescribed
classical format or scale and gifted stentorian voice are the factors behind
his success and popularity. Music is
considered as the language of Devas and it goes to a chosen few only. Such talented musicians are born once in
hundred years.
A brief account of his family
He was born as the eldest son to late Sri Devaraja Iyer and
late Smt. Kaveri Ammal. His wife’s name is Vatsala, a home maker and they have
been blessed with two daughters viz, Vanita and Sunita who are also settled in
Mumbai. He has three sisters settled in Mumbai and a brother Dr.V. S. Iyer
(Organic Chemistry) who is settled in the U S.
His three sisters are Smt. Parvati Krishnamurti, Smt. Jayalaxmi
Ramakrishnan and Smt. Lalitha Natarajan respectively. He says, he had his early tutelage in music
from his eldest sister Smt. who, like his
other siblings, is also settled in
Mumbai.
Well, Smt.
Parvati Krishnamurti, the elder sister
of Shri Bombay Hari, a veteran musician
who had received her initial music lessons from Late Krisnaswami
Bhagavathar, and later from Late
Chellamani Bhagavathar, was his first music teacher, says Shri Hari mama so proudly. The blessings of the Guru have worked miracle
in his music career that the disciple has been making sterling performances
over the years, breaking territorial barriers. The greatest, invaluable
Gurudakshina that a disciple can ever give his/her Guru is, making the Guru’s
expectations of the disciple, a
delectable reality. Nothing can match
that sublime, selfless contentment or gratification! She used to practise singing every day at
home and continued the habit, even after her marriage, quite religiously. Even today, she is agile in this area of fine
art by virtue of her self-commitment and regular practice. Still, at her age of
86, she is admired as capable of distinguishing the NUANCES OF RAGAS - the
subtle differences in the traditional melodic pattern or rhythm - which reveals
her professional perfection! No wonder her knowledge and prowess has percolated
to her children, grand children and great grand -children who sing well. Similarly, the other two sisters are also
graduates and learned music at their young age. The other sister Smt. Jayalaxmi
Ramakrishnan, a resident of Garodia
Nagar, is also adept in Carnatic music and she gives vocal performances during
festivals in temples and Sabha’s programs as well as on social and religious
occasions. Besides, she is conducting
music classes at her residence to groom a batch of enthusiastic students. While he himself, and his sisters, have gone in for vocal singing, Dr. V.S. Iyer, (
Shri Bombay Hari, lives in Matunga with his family and
continues his musical pursuits, regaling the vast chunk of music lovers and
enthralling the audiences in Mumbai as well as abroad, with his utmost
involvement and mesmerising voice quality.
A triple graduate from
Besides his busy schedule of programs, he also finds time to
groom a group of young and old group of students by imparting lessons in
Sampradaya (traditional) Kirtans or Bhajans like Tarangam, Ramdasa Kritis,
Meenakshi Sutha Kritis, popular Marathi Abhangs etc.
During his maiden visit to the U S in 1999, he had given
number of programs in several states which fetched him good repute and
popularity. Close on the heels, a unique program was arranged in Trivandrum
where Shri Bombay Hari was called upon to conduct a SAPTHA KALYANA MAHOTSAVAM,
from 12th May to 19th May 2002, vis-a-vis special programs covering Kritis of
Ramdas, Purandaradasa, Sadashiva Brahmendra, Meenakshi Sutha, Abhangs,
Tarangams, Hindi Bhajans etc. invariably every day. In addition,
he was also invited to give music demonstration to students doing PhD in
Music under the auspices of the
It is heartening to mention here that Shri Bombay Hari was
invited to perform Ashtapadhi, Divyanama and Radha Kalyanam in
He owes all his grooming and development in the genre of
music and particularly in the realm of traditional Bhajans to his Pujya Guru,
Shri Subbarama Bhagavathar,
It deserves special mention here that Shri Bombay Hari, with
all his mastery and perfection in the traditional – Sampradaya- Bhajan,
Abhangs, Kalyanams of various deities worshipped in the Hindu mythology and
verve in all octaves, has been able to win the hearts of all music lovers
everywhere. Recognizing his talents and ingenuity in the genre of classical
music and Bhajans, the Kanchi Paramacharya Aradhana Mahotsava Committee,
Palakkad (Kerala) conferred upon him the coveted title of -GANAMRUTHA VARSHINI-
during the Bhajanotsavam, held in August-2005.
Shri Bombay Hari is also the Founder President of an NGO
Hari Music Foundation – recently renamed as Kaveri Music Foundation after his
late mother. This NGO primarily takes care of the educational needs for
continuing education of the poor and needy in the society. Also the NGO is associated
with few other NGO’s in giving them financial aid for their various projects.
Shri Bombay Hari, with all his positive qualities and
attributes, acquired over the years by dint of his hard work and poised
efforts, his penchant for Namasankeerthanam has elevated him to the status of a
great maestro of the epoch.
Let us now extend to this reputed Bhajan Samrat, our best wishes for healthy long life to
scale still greater heights and amuse the music lovers and achieve many laurels
and accolades in the years to come!
SHRI BOMBAY HARI is, no doubt, the pride as well as the Bhajan Icon of Mumbai! But, in a broader sense, he belongs to the world!