INTRODUCTION: Music is the language of (GANDHARVAS) or celestial musicians! God has benevolently granted this splendid quality to select men on earth also. Over birth after birth, man has refined the mis-notes or crude form of music granted to him initially. Different kinds of music like vocal or instrumental, without any language barrier prevails all over the world.

As regards India, we have classical music, light music and various kinds of instrumental music as well. Everything has got its on natural appealing qualities of rhythm and melody. In classical, we have Carnatic as well as Hindustani music, designed in a scientific way, which singers choose according to their inborn aptitude proficiency in language and convenience. Among all fine arts, Classical Music occupies a predominant place and plays an important role, no matter it is dance or drama or presentation of a social or mythological episode! Without a classical background or sound knowledge in classical music, no one can become a perfect singer in his/her musical career.

Again, music has further subdivisions like Bhajan, musical discourse, Namasankeertan, Ghasals, etc. in the Hindu pantheons and spiritual congregations. For everything, music is an integral part and life blood. Namasankeertan is an important branch of music presented by many spiritual singers with sufficient mastery in classical music, which is based upon different extracts of puranic or mythological stories or episodes on various Gods and Goddesses. Today, we have umpteen number of such gifted Bhajan Samrats or singers in various languages in India. All temples and spiritual centers in Mumbai, particularly during festive occasions, are vibrant with the magical or mesmerizing melodious voices of Bhajan Samrats who have dedicated their entire life for singing on select deities or on various deities!

SHRI CHANDRAN AND A THUMBNAIL SKETCH OF HIS SPIRITUAL JOURNEY: Shri Chandran is a renowned Bhajan Samrat who has carved a niche in his long eventful spiritual career in Mumbai. He is also called MUMBAI MURUGA DAS because of his voice similarity as well as selection of songs of the erstwhile popular Bhajan legend late Shri Muruga Das who captivated millions of music lovers with his loud and mellifluous voice! Particularly, his songs on Lord Krishna and Lord Muruga are still rumbling in everybody’s ears! Now, our Bhajan Samrat Shri Chandran alias MUMBAI MURUGA DAS together with his experienced team has made many bhajan presentations in Mumbai and other places and he presents his bhajans with passion and enthusiasm every time.

Born and brought up in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, Shri Chandran came to Mumbai in 1965 after his basic education and was in service for 25 years. Now he is settled in Thane Mumbai with his family. His Dharmapathni, Sow: Seetha Chandran, a dedicated dame, is also equally spiritual who finds pleasure in assisting her soulmate in his spiritual activities. He has one brother and two sisters who are well settled in life. His two sons are also settled in life, one son in U S A and the other son working with a famous Bank in Mumbai. Meanwhile, with his spontaneous love for Bhajan, he mastered the art and started giving performances during spiritual congregations at various places and became one of the well -established Bhajan singers in Mumbai. Shri Chandran is well versed in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi and his Bhajans are always in Tamil only. With the blend of loudness and sweetness of voice in Bhajan Concerts, Shri Chandran is able to impress the listeners and captivate the whole audience. His Bhajans are available in You Tube.

OVERSEAS PERFORMANCE AND AWARDS: Now, let us have a glimpse of his Overseas Performance and Awards he has bagged for excellence in bhajan presentations. He had the rare and remarkable opportunity for presenting a Bhajan performance before the South Indian diaspora in the Sai temple at New Jersey in U S A in 2017.

As a veteran Bhajan Samrat, he was able to bag a few memorable Awards for his stellar performance, one from the NAMASANKEERTANAM group in Dombivli in the year 2008 and another from SANKARALAYAM in 2022. With the blessings of Lord Ayyappa , Shri Chandran could conduct Bhajan programs at various places like Delhi, Mumbai as well as Nagpur, Bhusaval (Maharashtra) and Palakkad in Kerala very actively and successfully for the last 50 years consistently which could garner him enough fame and appreciation from elite audiences.

It is highly commendable that Shri Chandran has been presenting his Bhajan programs impressively at the Murugan Temple Dombivli for the last 17 years together with his team. His songs and Keertans are purely devotional and soulful. With his deep devotion and dedicated involvement in Bhajans, he has been able to acquire fame, good name and enough popularity among the music lovers everywhere.

As a successful person in his peaceful family and social life with all his unassuming, down to earth nature, he says with a sense of contentment and gratitude that his sole prayer to God is to give him enough strength and health to perform Bhajans with full commitment and unremitting enthusiasm to the last breath of his life!

CONCLUSION: While basking in the glory of fame and public appreciation with the full support of his well-wishers, fans and family members, Shri Chandran alias our beloved MUMBAI MURUGADAS, reminisces the golden days of yesteryears with self-esteem and nostalgia. Music is a boon to man and it goes only to select people who have inborn aptitude, timbre (voice quality) quick grasping power of the intricate notes and amazing memory power to recollect everything at any point of time. Above all, what one needs abundantly is GURUTWAM (luck and Gurus’ bliss) and parents’ as well as ALMIGHTY’S blessings!

A casual survey or a cursory glance at his spiritual saga and musical journey for the past 50 years will convince us, his colossus stature and status in the Bhajan Empire with spectacular success and self-satisfaction! Before concluding this Featured Article on our BOMBAY MURUGADAS, I wish to add a happy news that in connection with the Ramanavami celebrations, various cultural programs like music, dance Bhajan etc. were arranged in our Bhajan Samaj temple Garodia Nagar (Ghatkopar East) from 30-4-2023 Thursday to 16-4-2023 Sunday.

The grand Bhajan Program of Shri BOMAY MURUGADAS was there on 11th Tuesday and it was so melodious par excellence. The names of the gifted artistes and the instruments they played are furnished below: HARMONIUM – Smt. VALLI ; MRIDANGAM - Shri. SWAMINATHAN ; DOLKI - Mr. GANESHAN; GANJIRA - Mr. VISWESH ; SINGERS - Mr. RAMDAS ; Mr. SRINIVASAN ; Mr. C K KRISHNAN and NATARAJAN . A few photos of Shri Chandran and his Dharmapathni Smt. Seetha Chandran, Chandran with Thodupuzha K Shankar, stage photos etc. are included for the convenience of the readers, besides a couple of YOU TUBE links of Chandran’s performance at the Ghatkopar Bhajan Samaj Garodia Nagar on that day. Let us now pray God for Shri Chandran’s long healthy and active musical life to perform more Bhajans and win not only the hearts of music lovers at large, but also to bag many more awards, accolades and praises too in the years to come! Nehru once said, “Success goes to those who dare and act, it seldom goes to the timid”! OUR MUMBAI MURUGADAS HAS ALREADY PROVED IT BEYOND DOUBT! LONG LIVE MUMBAI MURUGADAS AND HIS UNITED TEAM MEMBERS!

********* Stentorian -Loud and melodious

https://youtu.be/uiFcoRaIdng