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TRADITION VS. MODERNITY:
THE EVOLUTION OF INDIAN MUSIC’S IDENTITY
Folk and Regional Music:
From local roots to across the global stage
Folk & Regional Music: The Heartbeat of India
​Cultural DNA and Crossroads
Folk music in India began as lived expression—songs of harvest, devotion, satire, and resistance. Garba, Bhangra, Lavani, Abhangs—each rooted in place, season, and community. These traditions were social rituals, passed down through participation, not performance. But as diasporas grew and media evolved, these sounds crossed borders. They were remixed, digitized, and reimagined. This raised tensions: Does adaptation dilute meaning—or revive it for a new age?
Tradition in Transition​
Take Bhangra’s global beats, Garba’s festival glow, Lavani’s cinematic flair, or Abhang’s remix revival. Each has found modern platforms, from clubs and film sets to YouTube playlists. Their visibility has grown—but so has debate. While some mourn the loss of context, others see a resilient heartbeat beneath the gloss. In this dance between root and remix, Indian folk continues to evolve—vibrant, but vigilant.
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW GUJARATI MUSIC IS MODERNIZED
FROM BHAJAN SANDHYA TO NEW-AGE DEVOTION
​Devotional Music
A Sacred Shift
Communion to Consumption
hajan Sandhya was not a concert—it was community. Neighbors gathered on the floor, united by voice, not performance. Devotion flowed through harmoniums and humility, across caste and class. Today, devotion often streams in high-definition: bhajans with beats, visuals, and viral potential. Artists like Maithili Thakur blend reverence with reach, reshaping sacred sounds for digital ears.
Stillness vs. Spectacle
As bhajans go global, a new tension arises—between presence and presentation. Does spiritual music lose depth when it’s stylized? Or does it find new life in evolving formats? Where traditional formats offered silence and surrender, new-age bhajans offer access and appeal. The divine, some say, adapts. Others ask: at what cost?
OLD STYLE OF BHAJANS
NEWER WAY OF PRESENTATONS
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