Avilash Krishna’s musical journey began in the late ’90s. From a very young age, the soft-spoken bhajan artist was immersed and grew accustomed to the sounds of various kinds of musical instruments while growing up in Sigatoka.
Krishna, reputed to be one of the most promising bhajan singers in the country, said he has come a long way and faced all kinds of challenges in his journey to becoming a bhajania.
He said trying to improve his craft in order to establish his name in the local bhajan fraternity had been difficult.
Krishna is a multi-talented artist who also plays dholak, shehnai baja ( a wooden musical instrument that is widely used in special Hindu functions) and harmonium.
“I first started singing bhajan when I was in Year 8 and I credit my dad Karuna Gharan also known as Ashok, a well-known bhajania himself, for grooming me well,” the 38-year-old said.
Back then the Namata, Sigatoka-born bhajania was taking his first steps in bhajan singing.
“Singing in village mandalis built confidence and gives rise to artists, which was no exception for me as well.
“Back in the day, I was very much interested in learning how to play dholak. I have played dholak for prominent bhajanias such as Umesh Sharma, Suresh Mani and Arun Choy.”
Krishna said once he started performing in public gatherings, he gained more confidence because his understanding of the different vistaar of bhajan increased.
“Bhajan or devotional singing gives you a lot of guidance in life. I got to learn a lot of things from other bhajanias as well when I sing alongside them during the marni bhajan (songs which are sung following the death of a person of the Hindu faith).
He said in Hinduism, bhajans played an important role as it contained lyrics of praise for god from ancient scriptures which had the teachings of Hindu sages and saints.
“Singing bhajan can have a therapeutic effect and is also an excellent way to connect with our soul. When we are singing bhajan, we are also reciting about God and it also invokes us spiritually.”
Krishna said there was a lot of difference in how bhajan were sung in the yesteryears in comparison with how they are being sung now.
“Previously tambura bhajan and satsang bhajan were very popular, but these days the bhajan tunes are mostly based on Bollywood music.
“There are so many young people who do not understand bhajan at all.”
He said there were people who want bhajan singers to sing more competitive themed bhajan – but the issue with doing that was it could lead to ill-feeling and disputes.
He said back in the day, people understood bhajan music well and during marni (death) bhajan, the entire community would gather together to sing bhajan.
“I feel very happy when people appreciate me for my bhajan singing and it is like a motivation for me to keep on singing and learning.”
Krishna said his bhajan ensemble called “Team Avilash” and were made up of teenage boys — who all played traditional musical instruments while he sang.
“I want to promote Hindu culture among the youths so that they understand how deep and meaningful this music is. “My advice to upcoming bhajanias is that in Fiji is not to engage in ‘rough bhajan’ singing because it would result in the slow loss of a very important part of our culture and would also be an insult to our Santana Dharma.
“In my two decades of bhajan singing, one thing I have learnt is that singing ‘rough bhajan’, which I initially used to do, will also spoil your image.
“Once I listened to other good bhajanias and got more knowledge about bhajan, I realised my mistakes and mended my ways.”
He said he sang in his first bhajan muqabala (competition) at 16 years of age.
Krishna knows he has a lot to learn and rates prominent local bhajan singer Pravin Mani as one of the best bhajania in the country. He also rated Nadi’s bhajan prince Deepak Singh very highly as well.
“Parvin Mani is a very knowledgeable bhajania and it is a pleasure to sing bhajan alongside him whenever any opportunity arrives. Deepak Singh is a young, well-groomed bhajania and I admire his in-depth knowledge of bhajan and is a very good bhajan artist.”
