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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                              JANUARY 23, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 26

             First-Ever Bhajan Clubbing Night Draws

                          Over 400 Devotees in New Jersey

            OUR BUREAU
            Fords, NJ

               n  a  first-of-its-kind  cultural  and
               spiritual celebration in the Unit-
            Ied States, more than 400 devo-
            tees gathered in New Jersey for the
            country’s inaugural Bhajan Clubbing
            Night, blending devotional music with
            a contemporary, high-energy format.
            The three-hour musical extravaganza
            was held on January 9 at the Royal Al-
            bert’s Palace in Fords, coinciding with
            Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas.
                The event was organized by
            Jyotsna Sharma and Tarun Sharma,
            co-founders of Cultivate Talents Un-
            limited LLC, an NJ-based women mi-
            nority business enterprise, in associa-
            tion with the World Peace and Health
            Foundation (WPHF), a non-profit led
            by founder trustees Neeraj Bhagat
            and Pramod Bhagat.
                Inspired by the growing “bhajan
            clubbing” trend among Gen Z audi-
            ences in Indian metropolitan cities,
            Jyotsna Sharma conceptualized the
            event after conducting a social me-
            dia survey that showed strong inter-
            est among Indian Americans aged 15
            to 65. The response translated into a
            packed hall, with attendees ranging in
            age from 15 to 75 participating enthu-
            siastically.
                Held  in  the  newly  built  Crystal
            Hall of the Royal Albert’s Palace—
            known for its prominent statue of
            Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel—the venue
            was filled to capacity as devotees sang,
            danced, chanted, and swayed to devo-                                attended by community leaders, spon-  Rishu, whose performances added
            tional music late into the evening. The                             sors, and cultural figures, underscor-  depth and energy to the devotional
            audience was served a three-course                                  ing the blend of tradition and modern   sets. The youngest performer of the
            vegetarian dinner and chai, adding to                               presentation that defined the evening.  evening, Aurelia Vibhaw Bhardwaj,
            the community-centric atmosphere.                                       The artistic direction of the event   won applause for her manjheera per-
                The musical programme fea-                                      was led by local tri-state talent. Deep-  formance.
            tured 15-star singers and musicians                                 ak Puri and Payel Das served as music   Organisers Jyotsna and Tarun
            from the Cultivate Talents Unlimited   Diya Patel, Padma Shri awardee and   directors and mentors, creating the   Sharma expressed gratitude to attend-
            platform, selected through a tri-state   TV  Asia  Chairman  Dr.  H.R.  Shah,   musical framework on keyboard and   ees, dignitaries, sponsors, and grand
            talent hunt. A special all-American   Woodbridge Township Councilman   harmonium. Vandana Puri managed   sponsors Anu and Surinder Kumar of
            ensemble led by Kevin Kalpa Virksha   Veeru Patel, Edison Councilman Bi-  the chorus and stage direction, while   Suhag Jewelers, crediting their sup-
            and Pandit Krishna Das Sharma cap-  ral Patel, representatives from the   lead  singers Aparna Oak  and  Nidhi   port for making the historic event a
            tivated the audience with renditions of   office  of  New  Jersey  State  Senator   Mishra coordinated vocal teams.   success. Many participants described
            the Hanuman Chalisa and devotional   Raj Mukherjee, Royal Albert’s Palace   Other singers included Rajeev Shar-  the evening as uplifting, energetic,
            chants dedicated to Lord Shiva and   owner Albert  Jasani,  Anil  Sharma,   ma, Anchal Sinha, Vibhu Srivastava,   and spiritually immersive.
            Radha-Krishna.                    CEO of 22nd Century Technologies,   Vaneeta Tikkoo, Vibha Alaigh, Dim-  Buoyed  by the overwhelming
                Among the notable dignitaries   and Pandit Devender Shukla of the   ple Gupta, Srini, and Aarti Gupta.  response, the organisers announced
            in attendance were IFS Pragya Singh   Hindu Samaj Temple, Parsippany.   Instrumental  accompaniment   plans to expand Bhajan Clubbing
            from the Indian Consulate in New      A traditional lamp-lighting cere-  was provided by Anil Sachdeva,   Nights to other states across the U.S.,
            York,  Parsippany  Councilwoman   mony marked the formal inauguration,   Hemant Sharma, Monty Lalani, and   with future dates to be announced soon.

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