BORN and raised in Labasa, Shalendra Singh’s earliest memories are stitched with voices rather than instruments. His father and uncles, each steeped in the traditions of bhajan, kirtan and Ramayana, formed the first circle of influence around him.
Their home, though modest and without instruments, was rich in devotion and disciplined in culture. It was here that the quiet foundations of Singh’s future were laid, even before he recognised them.
While still at school, his aunt pulled him aside and encouraged him to learn music, telling him plainly he had a good voice. It was not praise; it was an instruction, and one that echoes back to him years later.
In 1999, after completing Form Six at DAV Boys College in Nabua, he attended a Havan where Pandit Guru Dutt Ji listened to him sing a bhajan. When the session ended, the priest offered the same message his aunt once had.
“You should start singing. You have a good voice,” said pandit Ji.
A devotional path
Singh began singing bhajan at 19, stepping into a space with discipline and humility. With encouragement from his family, he deepened his devotional practice and immersed himself in religious music.
“The turning point came when I met pandit Anil Sharma, a respected musician who recognised the strength in my voice and tone,” Singh said.
For 12 years, he had performed alongside pandit Anil at Muanivatu Ram Mandir and travelled widely across Fiji, learning and teaching in equal measure.
“Those years sharpened not only my musical ability but my sense of responsibility. I call it a shift from loving music to serving through music,” Singh said.
Seeds of a different calling
When Singh began teaching in 2010, he intended it to be his lifelong profession. But his engagement with music continued to deepen. Two trips to India on a scholarship gave him the opportunity to purchase his first instruments — a tabla and a harmonium.
“These instruments symbolised my achievements. I was a boy who grew up without instruments, now I own these instruments that I usually watched others play,” he said.
In 2014, Singh invested in a small sound system, not to change careers but to support musicians who, like him, were struggling with access to reliable equipment. With a suggestion from his tabla player, Kritil Kumar, he named the venture Hitech Sound.
“At the time, I had simply thought of this as an extension of my devotion to music. What I anticipated was the demand it attracted.” he said.
In its early years, Hitech Sound was defined only doing small events, while Singh balanced teaching, performances, and his emerging business.
“I was just filling the gap by providing quality equipment and trained instrumentalists. For many groups, a poorly tuned microphone or a faulty speaker spoiled the entire program.” Singh said.
But it wasn’t until 2023, when Singh left teaching to pursue Hitech Sound full-time, that is when the business truly began to expand.
Singh and his team have worked at some of Fiji’s most prominent venues — Vodafone Arena, Suva Civic Centre, Grand Pacific Hotel, Sheraton, and Sofitel — setting the stage for moments belonging to others.
Music as identity
Even as his business expanded, Singh’s devotion to singing never faded. His connection to bhajan, Ramayan, Hanuman Chalisa and ghazal remains central to who he is.
“For me, music is not entertainment, it is what keeps me grounded.” Singh said.
Looking ahead, he holds a new dream: to stage a series of bhajan sandhya across Fiji with a full band, a tribute to both traditions and the musicians who now carry it forward.
From Lagalaga to Suva’s largest stages, Singh’s story is one of quiet determination — a life tuned not to fame but to purpose.
