The Nava Naroda area of Ahmedabad came alive with devotion as local devotees organised a Shri Shyam Sankirtan. The whole evening was given over to bhajans in praise of Khatu Shyam Baba.
Singing together
Devotees gathered in large numbers and joined the sankirtan, singing and swaying along.
Ahmedabad’s Shyam calendar
The event is part of the continuing run of Shyam Baba bhajan sandhyas in Ahmedabad that regularly brings the city’s Rajasthani samaj together.
The spread of Khatu Shyam devotion
The original temple of Khatu Shyam ji stands in Rajasthan’s Sikar district, but devotion to him has travelled far beyond the state’s borders. Rajasthani families settled in cities such as Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai and Delhi have carried the worship of Shyam Baba with them. Every year large numbers of devotees travel from these cities to Khatu Dham for the Phalgun fair.
A local initiative
The event was not put together by any large mandal but on the initiative of local devotees themselves, a sign of how naturally devotion is rooted in the area.
Sankirtan as a shared act
What sets sankirtan apart is that the line between stage and audience all but disappears. Everyone present sings, claps and dances together, which turns the event into a collective experience.
