Krishna likes to rock

Must have heard the Hare Krishna chanting, but what about the rock version of the chant? A group of youngsters in the city took Janmashtami celebrations to a rocking high, with an Indo-western rock performance dedicated to Lord Krishna.

Must have heard the Hare Krishna chanting, but what about the rock version of the chant? A group of youngsters in the city took Janmashtami celebrations to a rocking high, with an Indo-western rock performance dedicated to Lord Krishna.

HT Image

As part of the Maha Umang 2011, held at the East of Kailash branch of the ISKCON temple on Saturday, a band of 10 devotees-cum-musicians performed a rock version of the chanting. Thousands of young devotees, who thronged the venue, swayed along. “In the name of God, we rock!” said 30-year-old Radhe Bihari, the lead vocalist of the group. Bihari, who has come from Mauritius, has been taking part in the festival for about seven years now. “I love rock music and I am a devotee of Lord Krishna. What better way than this to remember my God?” he says.

The rock concert was organised by the Youth Forum of the organisation that aims to engage the youth towards Krishna consciousness. “We have Umang — our youth festival — every two months. But this festival has specially been organised as part of the celebrations of Krishna’s birth,” says Rishi Kumara Das, Director, English Media and Corporate Training.

The evening also saw a performance by Vaikuntha Playes, a theatre group. The mythological play, explored the contemporary problems faced by youth today and was conceptualised by artists from the Prithvi Theatre group. This was followed by a birthday cake-cutting ceremony for the Lord. The rock style chanting lended a rather fashionable feel to the otherwise traditionally celebrated Hindu festival.