My connection with Bhajans began long before I understood their spiritual depth. None of this would have unfolded without my parents. They never forced devotion upon me. Instead, they gently created favorable circumstances for me to step onto this path of my own volition. As five year old child, I remember being taken to local Ayyappa Bhajana Mandali. I sat quietly amidst aroma of camphor, incense, and fresh flowers, soaking in thunderous reverberation of Kanjira, rhythmic clash of manjira, and collective chanting and Bhajans. I did not know exact meaning of every chant or Bhjans then, but sacred environment my parents ushered me into allowed that energy to seep deep into my consciousness.
The true turning point arrived when I was in Class 3, barely eight years old. It was crisp cold Deccember evening, and Ayyappa Bhajana Mandali in Lakkasandra (then operating out of a seasonally rented hall) was filled with devotees. Someone handed me lead microphone. My hands were tiny around it, and my heart raced. I closed my eyes and began Atma Nivasi Ram, a Bhajan taught to me by Madam Saraswathi in KM School (Yes, this school founded by Late Shri Sridhar and Late Narmada were as intrumental to instill a sense of Sanatana Dharma in me). As verse unfolded, initial nervousness gave way to sudden, overwhelming stillness. I was not just chanting, chant was singing itself through me. Afterward, elderly lady walked up, placed gentle hand on my head, and praised innocence and power in my voice. Thereafter it became a regular affair in the Mandali. She passed away recently, but her quiet blessing remains frozen in my memory as moment simple childhood habit turned into life calling. Today this Bhajan Mandali is a full fledged Swami Ayyappa Temple in Laljinagar, Bengaluru built as advised by renowned Kerala Temple Architect Shri Kanipayyoor)
From that evening on, there was no looking back. Bhajans became unyielding rhythm of my youth. Every year was anchored by intense discipline of Mandala Makaravilakku season, consisting of 56 unbroken days of devotion with 41 days of Mandala Kalam followed by 15 days of Makaravilakku. Rain or shine, homework or exams, those 56 evenings belonged entirely to Swami Ayyappa. My school days were equally steeped in this devotion. Whether leading morning assemblies or standing before massive crowds at neighborhood Samoohik Ganesh Pandals during Ganeshotsav, Namasankirtan was where I felt most grounded.
When my professional journey began and took me to Nashik, Bhajan life slowed down slightly. My demanding routine left little space for large gatherings, but inner yearning for Satsang never faded. I remember wandering into newly establishing ISKCON center during those early days in Nashik. Sitting on floor with small group of devotees and taking turns to chant the Shri Krishna Mahamantra, I realized distance and context did not matter because divine string was unbreakable.
After my stint in Nashik, I returned to Bengaluru, keeping my connection to Bhajans alive before work took me to Chennai. That move to Chennai deepened this journey immeasurably. My regular and intense association with Art of Living shifted everything. It is here that my deepest sense of gratitude belongs, to Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Through His unconditional love and guidance, He sharpened my ability to conduct Satsangs dedicated purely to His teachings. Gurudev taught me most profound lesson of all, to make Satsang entirely about Act of devotion and never about Actor leading it. Ego melted away, leaving behind only pure instrument of His grace.
In Chennai, this realization turned into wonderful journey alongside incredible souls like Soundar ji, Dhanraj ji, late Anju ji, Aravind, both Vijis, and so many others who made those years unforgettable.
Returning home to Bengaluru permanently in 2006 sealed my path forever. Satsang ceased to be something I did on special occasions and became essential part of my daily existence. This piece would be incomplete without honoring where current Bengaluru chapter began at Uttarahalli Art of Living Centre. We started as one large passionate team, and today that single seed has grown into multiple sub teams performing Satsang Seva concurrently across many places.
Out of this collective movement grew AnantAnsh, (you can click on the link that takes you to the official You Tube Channel of our Team), the name that reminds us that we are simply small part of Infinite. I am especially grateful to Sindhu who has been integral and crucial pillar of AnantAnsh, since 2009 and along with Sweta, Bharathi, who are regular fellow Satsangis these days. Our original team of Sumathi, Saraswati, Rajeshwari, Latha, Nalini, Raghav, Kavya, Vinay, Hema, Swati, Alpita, Veeru ji, Hemadri ji, Lalitha ji, Ravikala ji, Sumathi ji, Roopa, Mahesh Nyamati ji, Krishna Raju ji, Manjunath ji, Prabhakar ji and endless list of dedicated souls made the journey so fulfilling. My heartfelt gratefulness also goes out to our Bannerghatta Road volunteers/teachers, Sujatha, Padmini ji, Vinita ji, Prashanth ji, Vijay, Dipanvita ji, Prasad ji, Vikrant ji, Sapna ji, Aarti ji, Shantesh ji, Sandhya ji, Shruti ji Preeti ji, and so many more who regularly organise Rudra Pujas, Gurupujas and Satsang. Special thanks to Sadhvi Madhubala ji for connecting us to beautiful Sahasra Deepika where we regularly do Satsangs with 80+ girls who are taken care by this amazing organisation. Not to forget Varadaraj ji of Sneha Seva Trust, Vishwas Helpline for having us over to regularly conduct Sessions for the Children they support for their education.
To all teachers and devotees who organize Guru Puja Satsangs and invite us to lead them, thank you. Thanks to them, we are able to conduct over 100 Satsangs every year, balanced alongside our demanding work schedules. It is living miracle that by Gurudev grace and blessings, time, energy, and bandwidth somehow expand to make room for this Seva.
None of this would be possible without my family, Aparna, Divya, Vishnu, and now Anay. Their unconditional support has given me freedom to pursue this passion wholeheartedly. Without their constant backing, this long journey would not have been possible, let alone as joyful and fulfilling as it has been.
Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to every single rasika who joins us, sits with us, and participates. To everyone who encourages us and gifts us their genuine smiles, you are ones who make us want to carry out this Seva forever.
What we have consciously decided as a team is to avoid any kind of professional instruments or make the Bhajan sessions very professional, just Simple, straight from the heart and not as a performance. Have always kept it simple, even got rid of a Keyboard that used to regular accompaniment and stick to traditional, Dholak, manjira. Satsangs are conducted in a manner anyone can join the team and lead the Bhajan. Very rarely we seat in Stage-Audience formation. The Satsang team is always part of the audience. And most importantly it is done absolutely Free of any Cost to the organiser. Absolutely FREE. We carry our own Audio system and instruments and with our own transport. We conduct Satsang for any number in the audience be it 20 or 2000. We have kept the format spontaneous without any set template or patterns, the unpredictability makes it even more enjoyable, just like the nature of our Guru & how he wants it done
Looking back across decades, everything has shifted, including cities, stages, and faces in room. Yet when we sit down today with team of AnantAnsh, close our eyes, and start chant, feeling is identical to that eight year old child leading Atma Nivasi Ram. Outer world quietens down, mind settles, ego disappears, and all that remains is Name.