BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE
Atlanta, GA, September 22, 2026: A hush descended over Ashiana Banquet Hall as the first strains of devotional music filled the air. On September 18, as Padma Shri Anup Jalota’s first notes rose in the Hall at Global Mall, Atlanta seemed to grow still. Ghazal met devotion, poetry found melody, and for one luminous evening, music became a shared expression of remembrance, reverence and belonging.
The Soulful Sufi & Ghazal Evening received an overwhelming response from Atlanta, drawing a full house of music lovers eager to experience an artist whose voice has accompanied generations through prayer, celebration, solitude and reflection.
The concert was part of Jalota’s US tour, nationally promoted by Catch the Rhythms, led by George Bhalla. ASK-V Production, led by Karishma Virani, served as the local promoter.
The organizers were especially honored to welcome Consul General of India in Atlanta Dr. Sumit Seth, who attended with his family as the chief guest.
Their presence added significance to an evening devoted to Indian music, language and cultural expression. It also underscored the role the arts continue to play in connecting the Indian diaspora to its roots while carrying those traditions into new places and generations.
A Voice Woven Into Memory
Anup Jalota does not merely sing a bhajan or ghazal. He enters its silences, lingers between its words and allows every verse to arrive at its own unhurried destination.
For many in the audience, his voice carried memories of homes left behind, morning prayers heard in childhood, cassette tapes playing in family living rooms and poetry shared across generations. His music possesses the rare ability to fill a concert hall while making each listener feel as though the song is being sung especially for them.
As familiar melodies floated through the hall, the audience responded not simply as spectators, but as participants in a shared emotional experience. Applause rose between compositions, while moments of stillness revealed how deeply the music had reached.
The evening reaffirmed why Jalota remains one of the most beloved interpreters of India’s devotional and poetic traditions. After more than five decades onstage, his music continues to connect classical heritage with contemporary audiences.
Returning to Tansen After 38 Years
In an exclusive NRI Pulse interview before the concert, Jalota spoke about an exciting new chapter in his career. He is preparing to play the title role in Tansen, a musical directed by Paritosh Painter.
The role brings him back to a character he portrayed nearly four decades ago in the 1988 film Chintamani Surdas. That earlier appearance, he explained, was limited to a song, while the new production allows him to explore Tansen’s life in its entirety.
“When I played the role about 38 years ago, it was just a song I sang as Tansen,” Jalota said. “I did not act in anything more than that because the movie was about Surdas. But now, it is a whole play on Tansen.”
He said the extensive research behind the production introduced him to many aspects of the legendary musician’s life that he had not previously known.
“A lot of research has gone into the script, so now I know many more things about the life of Tansen,” he said. “This will be a very interesting experience for me. I am very excited.”
The role is more than a return to acting. It represents an artist revisiting a figure from his own past with the knowledge, maturity and musical understanding gathered over 38 years.
Mission 500: Preparing a New Generation of Bhajan Singers
Jalota also spoke passionately about Mission 500, his global initiative to identify, guide and prepare 500 devotional singers.
“Mission 500 is a very beautiful initiative, especially for singers,” he said. “The idea is to prepare 500 singers around the world.”
Jalota said he discussed the initiative with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has since been discovering singers during his travels across different countries and continents.
“From Fiji Islands to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, England, Belgium and Germany, everywhere I go, I meet singers, listen to them and guide them,” he said.
Atlanta, too, became part of that journey. Jalota said he had heard some talented singers in the city who could become part of Mission 500. The selected artists, he explained, would receive guidance in the proper technique and presentation of devotional music.
“They will be taught the proper style and the proper way to sing devotional music, so that the music sung by them becomes more effective,” he said. “This is what I have planned.”
Mission 500 reflects Jalota’s desire not only to preserve bhajan singing, but also to prepare artists capable of carrying its emotional and spiritual depth to future generations.
Bhajan Clubbing and the Energy of Youth
The conversation also turned to bhajan clubbing, a contemporary format that combines devotional singing with the atmosphere and energy of a social gathering.
Rather than viewing the trend as a departure from tradition, Jalota welcomed it as a natural evolution of devotional music.
“It is a very beautiful movement,” he said. “I have been singing devotional music for the last 50 years, and it has been popular in the country for so many years. Now the youth has taken it.”
Whenever younger generations embrace an art form, he observed, they inevitably give it a new shape.
“They do not want to do it only in the traditional way,” he said. “But what they may not realize is that what they are doing is actually the traditional style of kirtan. You sing and dance, like the Hare Krishna people. This is the same thing.”
Jalota said he appreciates the youthful reinterpretation and is happy to see devotional music reaching spaces beyond its conventional settings.
“Now it is going from the temple to the auditorium,” he said. “It is becoming very big, and I am very happy about it.”
His perspective placed bhajan clubbing within a much older tradition of collective singing, movement and spiritual celebration. The presentation may be contemporary, but its essential impulse remains rooted in the centuries-old experience of community devotion.
Every Audience Is a New Experience
Asked what continues to excite him about performing after so many years, Jalota said the connection with listeners makes every appearance feel new.
“Everywhere is the same,” he said. “Whenever I perform, I find an audience very keen to hear my devotional music, my ghazals and some beautiful film songs. For me, every time it is a new experience.”
He also understands that listeners arrive carrying their own memories and expectations.
“The audience comes with great hope,” he said. “They have in mind that they are going to hear the popular songs they have been hearing for years. The same thing is going to happen this evening, too.”
And it did. The Atlanta audience welcomed the familiar music not as something belonging only to the past, but as a living tradition, renewed each time it is sung and heard again.
Atri Kotal’s Soulful Presence
Joining Jalota was vocalist Atri Kotal, whose graceful and expressive performance added another dimension to the evening.
A versatile Hindustani classical and semi-classical vocalist, Kotal is deeply rooted in Indian classical traditions while bringing freshness and accessibility to every presentation. Her repertoire encompasses thumri, dadra, bhajan, ghazal and Hindustani classical music.
Trained in the Kirana, Agra and Patiala gharanas, she has performed across India and internationally, including on stages throughout the United States. In Atlanta, her voice moved effortlessly between delicacy and strength, complementing Jalota’s performance while establishing an artistic presence entirely her own.
Musicians Who Gave the Evening Its Pulse
The vocal performances were enriched by accomplished instrumentalists who shaped the mood and rhythm of the concert.
Mohammed Basher Khan accompanied on the benjo, Rozario Jerome on guitar and Amjad Kawa on tabla. Their sensitive accompaniment gave each composition room to breathe.
The tabla supplied a measured pulse, the guitar added warmth and texture, and the benjo introduced melodic flourishes that beautifully supported the voices onstage. Together, the musicians created a soundscape in which poetry, melody and rhythm moved as one.
Atlanta’s Local Performers Open the Evening
Before Jalota took the stage, Atlanta’s local performers set the tone for the night. The opening segment featured Sandeep Chavan, Suparna Nath, Amrit “Seeya,” Manav Rao, Pallavi Patel and Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Their performances reflected the depth of musical talent within the local community and gave the evening a distinctly Atlanta spirit. More than an opening act, the segment became a celebration of the city’s cultural landscape, where established artists and local voices could share the same stage in honor of a common musical heritage.
More Than a Full House
Karishma Virani expressed gratitude to Atlanta for the overwhelming response to the concert.
“We are deeply grateful to Anup Jalota ji for once again bringing his timeless music to Atlanta, to Atri Kotal ji for her beautiful and soulful performance, and to our sponsors, partners, opening performers, ASK-V Production team, and every audience member who supported us,” she said.
“For ASK-V Production, this was more than just a concert. It was a celebration of community, connection and the power of music to bring people together. We are truly thankful to Atlanta for making this evening a memorable full-house success.”
And that, perhaps, was the essence of the night. The hall was full, but so were the spaces between the notes, filled with memory, longing, devotion and belonging.
For a few luminous hours, Atlanta did not simply listen to Anup Jalota. It remembered, reflected and sang along.
