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 Bhajans by a band of Westerners, is that not surprising? More so if they claim to sing in Hindi, Bhojpuri and Nepali, fused with sitar, tabla, violin and guitar, anyone with an ear for music would be tempted to watch them perform live.
Chris Hale, Peter Hicks and Fiona Hicks along with Uday gave a scintillating performance of bhajans, the purest form of north Indian Hindu religious singing tradition, at Chennai’s Museum Theatre, on Sunday February 4, 2007.
The genre of their music is fusion and Hindustani classical folk and they call themselves ‘Aradhna’ (Devotion), that’s the core value of bhajan singing.
Chris Hale is from Canada, Peter Hicks from the US and Fiona Hicks from England. The common thing among them is that they all are born in South Asia. Chris was born in Nepal but was raised in India and went to Woodstock school at Massoori, an elite institution of north India. Pete was born in New Delhi but grew up in the US. Fiona was born in Nepal but was raised in England. As adults, they all discovered each other in India. Pete and Fiona are now husband and wife. The white South Asian musicians and singers are in their late 30s and early 40s.
Chris is the vocalist and the lead singer of ‘Aradhna’. He has a natural command over the Hindi language. Chris actually was a Rock guitarist before but now plays the sitar with equal felicity. Peter plays the guitar and also does vocals with Chris. Fiona plays the violin and sometimes breaks into melancholy with other singers. Uday from Hyderabad plays the tabla with them.
 Chris, Pete and Fiona all happened to learn music in India from Indian musical gurus. They also have been visiting the temples of north India where bhajans are sung as part of daily prayers. It’s after a great deal of learning they evolved their own genre of devotional music called ‘Eisu Bhakti Sangeet’ or devotional songs in praise of Jesus Christ, i.e. Christian bhajans in Hindu devotional tradition.
“Since my childhood was spent in South Asia, I am aware of the ‘Eisu Bhakti Sangeet’ being practised in north India. This inspired me to learn the bhajans. Later, I discovered that hundreds of bhajans were composed on Jesus over the last few centuries in India.” said Chris.
“However, the idea of singing bhajans came to me only a few years ago when I was touring India as part of Olio, a fusion band that concentrated more on Rock music. We have performed in IIT Madras as ‘Olio’ band in 1998,” he recalled.
“Pete, who was also part of Olio, lapped up the idea of signing Eisu Bhakti Sangeet,” Chris said, talking about the formation of the band
‘Aradhna’.
“Our songs are based on Braj bhasha and Bhojpuri, the language used in Hindustani music. Our debut album was ‘Deep Jale’, released in 2000. ‘Naam Leo Re’ followed it. The next album would have songs on Nepali folk music and would be released in June 2007,” Chris said, describing his work.
R Laxmanan, a retired Central government employee who has lived for a long time in north India and was watching their concert, says, “For those who are spiritually inclined, it does not matter whose name they are evoking. In their songs, when they address the divine with ‘Prabhu’ (Lord), even that barrier breaks down. It’s pure ‘Aradhna’ or devotion that dominates the thoughts,” he adds.
 Aradhna’s music is soft, melodious and sublime in nature. The compositions have great lyrical value that compel for a deeper search of one’s soul and takes into musical trance.
The number, ‘Prabhu Rakh Lao Mori Laaj’ (Lord keep my honour) is very haunting. It connects with the downtrodden that is not sure of his next day’s meal. It connects with those whose honour is being trampled. For such it’s the Lord alone to whom they can appeal for protection.
Aradhna has toured across several countries in the world. Recently, they have been to Britain and South Africa and are currently giving their performances in different cities in India. They are heading to the US from here and their concerts are lined up in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Aradhna website is www.aradhnamusic.com. A short video of Aradhna in concert is also available at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ZlCAdPq3k
Syed Ali Mujtaba
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Bhajans by a band of Westerners
