Prominent bhajan artist Pravin Devendra Mani has been showcasing his talent all over Fiji for many years now.
For many, he is widely regarded as one of the most established bhajan singers in the country.
The Vaqia, Ba bhajania shared during an interview with The Fiji Times that his musical journey began when he was only 14 years old.
His future in singing was determined then by the local bhajan fraternity when he sang alongside legendary bhajania the late Kanda Swamy Balak. That was in the mid ’80s.
“I used to go to Ramayan mandalis and the hymns and sermons invoked my interest towards music,” the 43-year-old said.
Many bhajan lovers in the country have deep respect for Mani, especially for his style of singing and his in-depth knowledge on the various vistaars in the bhajan. His ability to interact with the audience during live performance and his strong vocals is perhaps the reason for his longevity in the industry.
“At 13, when I was still schooling, I knew four to five bhajans really well and everyday I kept on learning more bhajans,” he said. “ My bhajan guru was Amlesh Prasad.”
He says singing his first public bhajan alongside Kanda Swamy Balak was a humbling experience that is forever etched in his memory.
“Kanda Swamy Balak came to sing bhajan in our neighbourhood and I just went to listen to his bhajan that day. The bhajania that was supposed to sing with him failed to turn up and I was requested to sing.”
Mani says since that day, his confidence and motivation to pursue bhajan singing leapfrogged to new heights. “Bhajan gives you a lot of things.
“It encourages friendship and you learn about the very principles of life.
“There is a lot of difference in the way bhajan were sung in the ’80s in comparison to today.” He says in the early days, less musical instruments were used and the vocals of the bhajania were given more prominence.
“Back in the day, musical instruments such as kartaal, manjira and tambura used to add rhythm and brought about fluidity with the artist’s voice and were also used at the right timing.
“These days the musical instruments are used excessively, loud and is the ‘spoiler’ in bhajans as it drowns the bhajania’s voice.”
Mani says he reads a lot of purans (sacred texts) to gain more knowledge so that his bhajans are properly framed.
“I have a room where a lot of religious texts are kept because in order to sing with legendary bhajanias such as Bal Ram, master Shiu Dayal, and Ashok Kumar – one needs to have a solid grasp on what they are singing.
“I know a lot of different themes in bhajan – Ganesh vistaar, Rama avatari, Krishna avatari, Mahabharata, Ganga vistaar, Devi vistaar and the 24 avatars of Lord Vishnu bhajan.”
He heaped praise on bhajan legend Ashok Kumar as according to him, Kumar has a detailed knowledge on a lot of different aspects in bhajan.
“I have noted several times whenever I have sang with him, he sings too perfectly and I have never found any flaws in his bhajan.
“I really respect him and admire his god-gifted talents.” The veteran bhajania says he feels very honoured when people appreciate him for his bhajan singing.
“My advise to young upcoming bhajanias is to not sing ‘rough bhajan’ as it would only lead to their downfall.
“Please stick to our Santana Dharma and sing bhajan that is pleasing to everyone and not just for entertainment.”
Mani says music was such that it was very difficult for any artist to stay away from it.
“People who are in the bhajan fraternity will sing bhajan for as long as they can because music is loved by all.”
He said there were some negative elements in Fiji’s bhajan fraternity that deliberately orchestrate “rough bhajan”.
“There are people who deliberately align two bhajanias in order for rough bhajan to take place.
“At a post-funeral gathering, bhajan is sung for the soul to find peace, however, there are people who at times, who would want to pay bhajanias extra money just so that ‘rough bhajan’ can take place.
“I ask such people to stop all these kind of acts.
“It is a very wrong thing because these things just for the sake of entertainment will lead to commotion between the bhajanias and give a bad image to bhajan in Fiji.”
