Think of Goddess Durga and one of her ostensibly favourite sons comes to mind: Narendra Chanchal, the iconic singer who carved a unique place in devotional singing and the genre remains synonymous with him. He specialized himself in rendering devotional songs/hymns in praise of the Maa Bhagwati. His voice was widely believed to be a hotline to the Mother Goddess and he had the power of intercession. Chanchal was the flamboyant face of the Bhagwati Jaagran, a nightlong session of songs in praise of Maa Vaishno. Though Jaagrans have thousand years of history, but the credit to convert these into outdoor grand music shows goes to Chanchal, earning him the titles ‘Jaagran Samrat’, ‘Dhyanu Ke Avtaar’, ‘Maa Bhagwati Ke Lal’, ‘Aalokik Kanth Ke Swami’ and many more. His mellifluous voice had the ability to pierce straight into the listener’s heart, making every listening an emotional and spiritual experience. Chanchal, came to be identified with high-pitched Bhents/bhajans. He would not ju
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