LUCKNOW: Have you ever heard the rock version of Hanuman Chalisa? Raj Mohan, a Dutch singer and songwriter who sings in Bhojpuri is all set to release rock style Hanuman Chalisa along with his disciple and rapper Manav D.
A fifth generation Indian from Suriname, Mohan grew up in Utrecht, the Netherlands and showed musical talent at an early age.
Mohan, who is in town to attend the Global Investors Summit, told TOI that the new version will be streamed on an online platform and cost $1 for the listener. The money earned from the show will be invested in setting up a factory in Uttar Pradesh which will produce ‘green batteries’.
“The rock version of Hanuman Chalisa has already been recorded and will go live on Hanuman Jayanti in April this year. I sang chaupais and dohas while my disciple recorded a rap in between. We have rock music recorded in the background. The revenue earned will be invested in UP to fulfill my ancestors’ dream of contributing to the development of the country,” said Mohan.
“Similar factories will later be set up in Dubai, China, Japan, the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Our goal is to gradually promote these environmentally friendly batteries around the world,” he added.
The project is sponsored by the Quality Service Content Human Capital Foundation Limited (QSC-HC).
Mohan invented Sarnámi-Bhojpuri Geet in the Geet & Ghazal style which was enjoyed worldwide with his album ‘Kantráki’ (2005). His ancestors were brought to Suriname by Basti in UP as indentured laborers by the British.
“As a child, I used to watch Bhojpuri movies and listen to Baithak gana, a form of music originating in Suriname from the Indian community where Dholak, Dandtaal and harmonium are used in sync. I continued with my passion for music even after I moved to the Netherlands and listened to records by ghazal singers like Mehdi Hassan, Jagjit Singh and Begum Akhtar,” said Mohan.
Mohan learned music from Ustad Jamaluddin Bharatiya in Amsterdam to become a ghazal singer.
The idea of singing the Sarnámi-Bhojpuri Geet came to Mohan in the 1990s. Sarnami Bhojpuri is a mix of several Hindustani dialects and languages spoken since indians in the country to which they immigrated.
“Initially when I told people that I wanted to sing in Sarnami Bhojpuri, they laughed at me but my album ‘Kantraki’ in 2005 changed everything. It was registered in Varanasi,” Mohan said.
A fifth generation Indian from Suriname, Mohan grew up in Utrecht, the Netherlands and showed musical talent at an early age.
Mohan, who is in town to attend the Global Investors Summit, told TOI that the new version will be streamed on an online platform and cost $1 for the listener. The money earned from the show will be invested in setting up a factory in Uttar Pradesh which will produce ‘green batteries’.
“The rock version of Hanuman Chalisa has already been recorded and will go live on Hanuman Jayanti in April this year. I sang chaupais and dohas while my disciple recorded a rap in between. We have rock music recorded in the background. The revenue earned will be invested in UP to fulfill my ancestors’ dream of contributing to the development of the country,” said Mohan.
“Similar factories will later be set up in Dubai, China, Japan, the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Our goal is to gradually promote these environmentally friendly batteries around the world,” he added.
The project is sponsored by the Quality Service Content Human Capital Foundation Limited (QSC-HC).
Mohan invented Sarnámi-Bhojpuri Geet in the Geet & Ghazal style which was enjoyed worldwide with his album ‘Kantráki’ (2005). His ancestors were brought to Suriname by Basti in UP as indentured laborers by the British.
“As a child, I used to watch Bhojpuri movies and listen to Baithak gana, a form of music originating in Suriname from the Indian community where Dholak, Dandtaal and harmonium are used in sync. I continued with my passion for music even after I moved to the Netherlands and listened to records by ghazal singers like Mehdi Hassan, Jagjit Singh and Begum Akhtar,” said Mohan.
Mohan learned music from Ustad Jamaluddin Bharatiya in Amsterdam to become a ghazal singer.
The idea of singing the Sarnámi-Bhojpuri Geet came to Mohan in the 1990s. Sarnami Bhojpuri is a mix of several Hindustani dialects and languages spoken since indians in the country to which they immigrated.
“Initially when I told people that I wanted to sing in Sarnami Bhojpuri, they laughed at me but my album ‘Kantraki’ in 2005 changed everything. It was registered in Varanasi,” Mohan said.
