Weekends for Delhi-based Akshat Mishra (20) aren’t about waiting outside a nightclub. He’s at the Yashobhoomi Centre in Dwarka, Delhi, to watch London-based kirtan artiste and bhakti yoga teacher Radhika Das perform. Strobe lights cut through incense smoke at the venue, bass drops blend with bhajans, and hundreds of young people chant ancient Sanskrit verses with the energy of a music festival. Sneakers replace traditional footwear, tilaks sit alongside street-wear, and devotion moves to the rhythm of EDM.
“For my generation, faith doesn’t have to be quiet or old-fashioned,” says Mishra, adding, “It feels like you are in between laughter, dancing, and hands raised in rhythm— rooted in tradition, yet perfectly at home in my generation’s chaos. It’s spiritual, social, and surprisingly hype.”
Bharatcore
Welcome to bhajan clubbing, a fast-emerging phenomenon that is transforming devotional music into a scalable, premium, live entertainment product. What began as small community gatherings have rapidly evolved into ticketed, sponsor-backed events that resemble mainstream concerts, both in scale and in revenue potential.
According to Giresh Vasudev Kulkarni, founder of Temple Connect and the International Temples Convention & Expo (ITCX), this trend marks a significant shift within India’s live events economy. “Bhajan clubbing represents a paradigm shift in India’s Rs 20,000-crore live events industry,” he said.
Temple Connect recently served as the strategic community support partner for the Radhika Das Tour 2025, a nine-city celebration of bhakti, music, and meditation.
“The rise of large-scale kirtan concerts such as those led by devotional artiste Radhika Das now fill arenas across Indian metros and international destinations, including Dubai and London. Revenue streams mirror those of mainstream concerts—ticket sales, sponsorships, brand activations, and intellectual property monetisation. It is transforming devotional experiences into premium entertainment formats. We are seeing serious capital flow via real estate sponsors like M3M India, state tourism boards, and lifestyle brands are investing at stadium-concert levels because this format delivers what modern brands seek—high emotional engagement, multi-generational reach, and culturally safe environments that build long-term equity, not just visibility,” said Kulkarni.
For instance, brother-sister duo band, Backstage Siblings (Prachi & Raghav), known for their bhajan-jamming sessions have a packed pan-India tour in Mumbai (February 8), Pune (February 14), Hyderabad (February 21), Bengaluru (February 28), supported by music record label brand Saregama and radio partner Red FM. The early bird ticket is priced at Rs 999, while phase 1 ticket is for Rs 1,299 on BookMyShow. The Mumbai event on February 8 was sold out last week itself.
Event companies like Alive Experiences are professionalising the space, who exclusively manage Keshavam—the devotional rock band popularising the bhajan clubbing format—across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata where events are almost sold out.
Digital Detox via Devotion
A report by District by Zomato titled ‘Touching Grass: How India Will Go Out in 2026’ suggests that bhajan clubbing among urban Gen Z hints at the potential of lore-heavy Bharatcore experiences, recognisable cultural grammar remixed with play.
Players like Rajeev Jain of Rashi Entertainment, an experienced leader in the entertainment industry with over 30 years of experience, are debuting with a pan-India tour in March across Delhi, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Mumbai with bhajan performing artistes Saaz and Prakhar.
“Bhajan clubbing is a very lucrative business idea shaping a new cultural narrative for those who like to meditate, love music and dance, especially the Gen Z, and the way they are re-imagining spirituality,” said Rajeev Jain, founder & director, Rashi Entertainment.
The tickets for this show starts at Rs 1,000 for general balcony and go up to Rs 5,000 for a VIP pass.
“We are roping in international artistes also in our future lineup. It is heartening to see that we have already sold over 400 tickets for the upcoming show in March in Delhi at the Talkatora Stadium. While there is interest for tie-ups for bhajan clubbing, we are expecting state governments and car companies, retail brands to finalise sponsorships soon,” said Jain.
PM Narendra Modi, in his monthly broadcast Mann ki Baat, praised young Indians for embracing bhajan clubbing, calling it “a powerful blend of devotion, culture, spirituality and modernity” and comparing its scale and impact to global concerts, and that from a financial standpoint the model is robust.
Money-wise, Kulkarni estimates production and artiste costs range between Rs 1.2 crore and Rs 1.6 crore per city, sponsorship packages begin at around Rs 5 lakh for associate partners and can go up to Rs 50-60 lakh per town for larger collaborations with tourism boards and major brands. Ticketing, managed through online platforms, forms the core revenue stream.
“The format goes beyond being just a bhajan/kirtan event. It reflects a wider cultural shift — where the same audience that might watch a mainstream film like Dhurandhar is equally inclined to participate in an interactive devotional music experience. What’s notable is that people are not passive attendees. They sing, perform, and become part of the experience,” added Kulkarni.