Rishitha, a young slim care centre proprietor in her mid-twenties, once called me from a bookshop, asking what kind of music she could buy to uplift herself. I suggested Sacred Chants volumes and she couldn’t wait to listen to them on her new Honda Civic. She thanked me profusely for the suggestion!
Listening to Vasudevasutam Devam in lilting tones that evoke the image of a swinging cradle, or the forceful and melodious notes of Nithyanandakari Varabhayakari, we are immediately transported to the realms of the gods, purity, divinity, auspiciousness and primarily a feeling of holiness. A series of seven CDs titled Sacred Chants - volumes 1 to 7, brought out by Kosmic Music is very popular among those who wish to listen to traditional divine chants set to a modern background musical score, retaining its essential sacred flavour.
With Vinaya and Saidhavi among the lead singers along with a few other singers, Stephen Devassya has scored the background music on the keyboard giving it a most contemporary flavour. In one of the volumes, Aham Brahmasmi — one of the four Maha Vakyas of the Upanishads — has been taken up for a brisk repeated rendering in different speeds as it has the effect of a divine chorus set to western music in the background.
R Murali, the general manager of Kosmic Music says these chants are their most popular moving items on the list. It has been rendered in a spiritual manner, soothing to the ears with a marginal change from tradition only with respect to the background music.
The CD jackets contain leaflets of all the shlokas in Sanskrit and in English. This helps those who wish to learn to recite them as they listen to the chants. The CDs serve as an interesting platform to introduce traditional and rare shlokas and chants to the re-mix-obsessed younger generation, even if the strict traditionals might be critical of including western background scores.
Together with Holy Chants based on thematic verses on Mahavishnu and Mahalakshmi, Ganesha and Shiva and Parvathy — the sacred series comes up to 10 in number and is available in all leading stores in India and even around the world.