S2E68: India’s $70 billion spiritual market fuelled by bhajan clubbing

Discover how bhajan clubbing is transforming devotional music in India. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in. In this episode, host Li Xueying discusses with Debarshi Dasgupta the recent surge in bhajan clubbing - the fusion of devotional Hindu music with contemporary styles like EDM and rock. This cultural phenomenon, exemplified by recent concerts in Delhi and other cities, explores how young Indians are finding a modern form of spiritual engagement, stress relief, and social belonging. It has received government endorsement from Prime Minister Modi and the BJP as part of a Hindu religious revival, which includes state funding for concerts and events. This cultural shift also addresses social acceptance and generational changes in religious practices. Highlights (click/tap above): 1:18 How bhajan clubbing draws different age groups and its impact on faith practices 3:41 Influence of political figures like Modi endorsing this musical trend 6:35 The correlation between stress relief, youth identity, and spiritual needs 11:13 BJP's promotion of Hinduism and religious revival through government policies 13:22 Political and economic motives behind government support for Hindu cultural activities 16:17 Future prospects of bhajan clubbing and its evolution into all-night raves Read Debarshi Dasgupta's article here: Read Li Xueying's articles: Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: Sign up for ST's weekly Asian Insider newsletter: Host: Li Xueying ( xueying@sph.com.sg ) Edited by: Fa'izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: Get more updates: The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: Google Play: ---

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S2E68: India’s $70 billion spiritual market fuelled by bhajan clubbing is an episode from Asian Insider by ST Podcast Team.

This episode is 18:12 long.

This episode was published on Apr 2, 2026.

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