The president of Bhajan Samahroh, Sankar Das, at the news conference on Thursday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Sept. 4: Assamese geets and kirtans are set to evolve into bhajans, a form of devotional music hitherto sung only in north Indian languages.

A group of exponents of Assamese classical music have set up a research institute and music university for the purpose.

“There are several devotional songs by Sankardev, Madhabdev, Damodardev, Gopaldev, Haridev, Anirudhodev which can be popularised in a bhajan form,” said Lakhibhallab Kandali, an eminent classical singer.

The Dambudhar Kandali Asom Bhajan Research Kendra and Gangadhar Debamishra Sangeet Mahavidyalay will organise a bhajan competition at Rabindra Bhawan on Sunday.

The basic purpose of the competition is to make Assamese devotional music popular among the younger generation, the president of Bhajan Samahroh, Sankar Das, told reporters here today.

The music university is already imparting training in Assamese bhajans.

“Bhajan is a more refined form of namabalis and kirtans. In a way, geets, namabalis and kirtans are folk forms and bhajan is the classical form,” said Chitralee Goswami, a noted sufi, ghazal and bhajan singer.

Kandali said Assam had a five hundred-year-old tradition of Bhajan singing, but these songs did not get recognition as bhajans because of lack of exposure.

“Our endeavour will be to dig out those songs and popularise them. We will also try to refine some devotional songs composed in Mising, Rabha and other tribal languages into bhajan form,” Kandali said, while explaining the role of the research centre.