By V. Vijayalakshmi, IANS,
Barshi (Maharashtra) : Saurabh Maharaj More is just nine years old but when it comes to singing bhajans, he is a veteran of 150 shows. And he sings these devotional songs not only in his native tongue, Marathi, but in English too.
Saurabh, a resident of Barshi Taluka near Solapur in Maharashtra, gave his 151st show in English at the request of his schoolmates who found Marathi a little incomprehensible.
“My schoolfriends asked me to recite bhajans in English, they said they did not understand what I say in Marathi. So I thought it was a good idea,” Saurabh told IANS.
Saurabh’s sessions are a huge hit in the area and he performs to packed crowds. His sessions are also attracting young kids in large numbers.
Dattatre Manohar More, Saurabh’s father, says, “It has a lot to do with the environment at home. From the beginning we observed Saurabh had no stage fright. He would enact various scenes from movies and imitate heroes, so we encouraged him to start singing kirtans (hymns).”
The rest as they say is history. “I love to sing bhajans, it really feels nice when so many people come to listen to me,” said Saurabh.
A Class 4 student, Saurabh translates most of the bhajans written by great saints into English himself but does take his father’s help sometimes.
Most of his sessions are held on the weekends when the schools are closed. His father, himself a high school pass out, is determined to give his son a higher education.
Saurabh, however, is basking in his newfound glory. As kids of his age, he adores Shah Rukh Khan and his favourite movie is “Return of Hanuman”.
But the boy who lives near the famous temple of Panduranga Vittal wants to travel across the country singing and popularising the verses by famous saints.
(V. Vijayalakshmi can be contacted at [email protected])