It was an evening where devotion met spectacle on an unprecedented scale. Anandam: The Symphony of Devotion, spearheaded by Shankar Mahadevan, transformed Mumbai into a grand celebration of faith, music and culture, bringing together some of India’s finest musicians, immersive storytelling and cutting-edge stagecraft in a three-hour musical experience. The concert drew a galaxy of celebrities, including Anil Kapoor and wife Sunita Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Mukesh Ambani and Radhika Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Amruta Fadnavis, Poonam Sinha, Pankaj Kapur, Supriya Pathak, Boman Irani, Urmila Matondkar, Divya Dutta, Salim Merchant, Harbhajan Singh, Hansika Motwani, Benny Dayal, Rahul Vaidya, Sakshi Tanwar, Ravie Dubey, Kubbra Sait, Sonal Chauhan, Rashmi Thackeray, Rithvik Dhanjani, Kiku Sharda, Rakesh Bedi, Amish Tripathi, Kritika Kamra, Kanishk Seth and Ramesh Taurani, among others. A MUSICAL JOURNEY THROUGH DEVOTION The evening opened with Shankar Mahadevan’s stirring Ganesh Vandana followed by Ek Dantaya Vakratundaya and Sur Niragas Ho. Welcoming the audience, he set the tone for the evening by saying, “The ultimate joy or anandam, in life is through divinity, devotion and spirituality, and the easiest, shortest way to reach there is through music. Besides entertaining people, it is also our responsibility as musicians to preserve and pass on our great historic writings and mantras, some of which are thousands of years old. Today we have used multiple mediums to do this.” He then invited his sons Siddharth and Shivam Mahadevan on stage and they sang togther, with the audience enthusiastically joining in chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’. Shaan who came up next said, “Today, you won’t just hear bhajans, you’ll see them too. This is an immersive show where you experience every song.” He sang Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari. The concert seamlessly blended music with storytelling as singer-storyteller Nikhar Juneja narrated episodes from the Ram Katha and Bhagavad Gita, joined by Shaan. The Mahadevans followed this with Shiv Bhola Bhandari, Ram Ram Jai Raja Ram and a soulful rendition of Radha Raman Hari Gopal Hari, encouraging the audience to sing along. “Naam sankirtan is the highest form of music,” Shankar remarked. IMMERSIVE VISUALS STEAL THE SHOW While the music remained at the heart of the evening, Anandam distinguished itself through its spectacular production design. Massive LED visuals, storytelling, graphics, choreographed dance sequences, arial acts and live performances unfolded across four stages; including a moving elevated platform, a sprawling main stage, a long performance ramp and a circular stage placed amidst the audience. One of the evening’s most breathtaking moments came during Shankar Mahadevan’s Shiv Stotra, when an aerial performer portraying Lord Shiva descended dramatically over the centre stage, surrounded by the audience. The entire show had a display of confetti cannons, pyrotechnics, fireworks, laser shows and elaborate choreography that accompanied every musical performance. MUMBAI’S FESTIVE SPIRIT COMES ALIVE The concert recreated some of Maharashtra’s biggest cultural celebrations on stage. Following performances by Antara Nandy and Ankita Nandy, Bhoomi Trivedi had the audience dancing to energetic devotional numbers, with Shankar joining her for portions of the set. A thunderous Nashik dhol ensemble then took over before the Mahadevans recreated Mumbai’s iconic Dahi Handi celebrations during Govinda Ala Re. A live four-tier human pyramid was built on stage before performers triumphantly broke the handi, drawing loud cheers from the audience. Moments later, the stage transformed again to recreate Ganpati Visarjan as the singers performed Tujhko Phir Se Jalwa Dikhana Hoga. The festive mood spilled into the audience, with Boman Irani dancing near the stage while Anil Kapoor enthusiastically joined the celebrations. After the interval, Shankar Mahadevan returned dressed as a Varkari to perform devotional compositions dedicated to Lord Vitthal. SONU NIGAM AND USHA UTHUP DELIVERED EMOTIONAL HIGHLIGHTSOne of the biggest highlights of the evening came when Sonu Nigam took the stage. Beginning with Mangal Bhavan Amangal Haari, he followed it up with Shirdi Wale Sai Baba. There were other songs like Kisna Hai, Namo Namo, Ghar More Pardesiya, Deva Deva and other devotional favourites, receiving standing ovations throughout the performances. Veteran singer Usha Uthup brought both emotion and warmth. Fighting back tears, she said, “A lady who can sing in nightclubs, sing ‘Ramba Ho’ and ‘Naatu Naatu’ is singing here today. I believe every song of mine is a bhajan. Thank you, Shankar, for including me in a programme like this. I have a hotline to God and it doesn’t matter if I sang in a nightclub earlier. Fifty-seven years of your love and blessings have brought me here today.” A FITTING FINALE The concert culminated in a grand Maha Aarti featuring Shankar Mahadevan, Siddharth Mahadevan, Shivam Mahadevan, Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Usha Uthup, Himani Kapoor, Bhoomi Trivedi, the Nandy sisters, DJ Afterall and Nikhar Juneja. As the entire audience rose to their feet, waving LED lamps (that were distributed earlier) and singing together, the arena resonated with chants of “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Shri Ram.” Throughout the evening, audiences actively participated, raising their hands during chants, swaying to DJ-led devotional tracks, turning on mobile flashlights, and dancing to Bhoomi Trivedi’s Garba numbers. More than a concert, Anandam: The Symphony of Devotion emerged as an immersive celebration of India’s spiritual and cultural heritage, blending ancient traditions with contemporary production on a scale rarely seen before.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source timesofindia.indiatimes.com ’
