Around 140-odd strangers ambled into an amphitheatre at Bellandur here on an overcast Saturday evening, learned Coldplay’s Something Just Like This within two hours and belted it out in perfect synchronicity to an enthralled audience of around 300.
The weekend magic happened at “Flash Jam Bangalore”, where a community of amateur singers bonded over their love for music and left feeling a bit lighter and happier.
Flash Jam Bangalore was conceived by 30-year-old Danish Abdi, an IT engineer-turned-choir director. After around 33 Flash Jams since its launch in September last year, the first season came to an end on Saturday.
A few participants that The Telegraph spoke to were a bit disappointed that they would have to wait until October to be a part of the second season.
Danish Abdi with core group singers
Avani, a US citizen with roots in Gujarat and currently based in Bengaluru, has been taking part in Flash Jams for the last 17 sessions. She said the experience of singing in front of strangers had been “incredible”.
“As a child, singing used to bring me immense joy. But later, I somehow lost touch with it amid the busy life. Now I’m in my 40s, and that inner child in me has been asking me to take up singing again. The experience has been truly overwhelming. Apart from singing, I’m also getting to make new friends,” said Avani, a core group member.
The Flash Jam has 20 core group members. Some of them used to sing in choirs, while others are trained in Carnatic classical or Hindustani music.
On Saturday, the Flash Jam started with Like a Prayer, after which Danish started breaking down the Coldplay song.
Vernon Mascarenhas, a self-proclaimed introvert and a participant, said he came across an Instagram post on Flash Jam Bangalore a few months ago. “This is my fifth jamming session, and it has been fun singing timeless hits like Zombie by the Cranberries, Rasputin by Boney M and Skyfall by Adele. The good thing about this Flash Jam is that an introvert like me feels included. People belonging to all age groups are getting an opportunity to dabble in singing. Danish is simply awesome,” Vernon, an IT engineer, gushed.
Danish said he conceived Flash Jam during his engineering days at BITS Pilani.
“I was a keyboardist and western vocalist in the Music Club at my college. Due to job compulsions, I couldn’t take it forward earlier. Since last September, I’ve done 33 Flash Jams. Seeing the success here, music aficionados from Calcutta, Mumbai and Pune have been urging me to bring Flash Jams there,” Danish said.