AUDIOSCAN
Mantras for children

Disha: A direction for success (Times Music)

Till a few decades ago, many schools reverberated with sounds of shlokas recited by students every morning. Now the tradition is confined to only a handful of schools. The result is that most of the young ones are just not aware of this priceless legacy.

The album attempts to present some of the shlokas and vandanas in such a format that even an average student can easily memorise them. First, an adult voice recites them and then the chant is picked up by children. So, the seemingly-difficult Sanskrit couplets can be learnt in a jiffy.

Also, there are lessons for everyone in these sacred words, which children can imbibe to enrich their lives.

The benefits are manifold. At the lowest level, the recitation of such words is said to improve one’s elocution. And if one is spiritually inclined, one may even accept fully the claim that this collection of mantras has the power to stimulate the intellect, rectify certain speech defects and improve mental and intellectual faculties and reflexes holistically.

For instance, the chanting of or listening to mantras like Sharada Bhugangashtakam, Margabandhu Strotra and Saraswati Beej Mantra is believed to give students the power to concentrate and achieve success in their lives.

Then there are also Gayatri Mantra, Ganga Strotra, Guru Paduka Panchakam, Saraswati Beej mantra, Vaani Dosh Nivaran Mantra, Om Dhyaan, Saraswati Vandana and Satya Sudar Path in this two-cassette album.

The shlokas have been rendered by S.P. Balasubramaniam, Shankar Mahadevan, Anuradha Paudwal, Rattan Mohan Sharma, Sanjeev Abhayankar, Amee Mathur, Sachin Limaye, Abhishek, Eshwari Pandit, Sneha Suresh, Ankita Joshi and others.

The complete script of the mantras is provided with the album. There are also add-ons like brain ticklers and fun-fact cards.

For those who do not know Punjabi, Chhalla is one of the most popular and evocative folk songs of Punjab. Lyrics are traditional but these are also reinterpreted every now and then.

Now this whole album has been named after it. It has been sung by Lakhwinder Lucky, who has a full-throated voice ideally suited for conventional songs. The album has been set to music by Jawahar Wattal. He has struck to traditional instruments mostly. Chhalla is not the only folk song here. There is also Jindua. The other eight numbers are also in the form of music normally sung in rural areas.

Music has been arranged by Jaspal Moni while the lyrics have been penned by Bobby Phillaurwala, Jaswinder Kalsi, Parampal Sandhu, Bindar Jailowal, M.P. Saifabad and Panchi Dalewalia. — ASC