Sanjay singing his way into heaven

A serious looking Sanjay Seecharan,19, of Sangre Grande walked onto the set on Mastana Bahar to sing one of the most religious and meaningful bhajans (song in Hindi) on the grand final show. His smooth voice left the audience spellbound as he belted out the tune, “Chowdhariya jeena rey jeeni, hey Ram naam raat tha hai.” It was an old tune that described the devotion of a humble soul whose only riches are his connection with God.

After delivering a very difficult tune, Sanjay sighed and left the bright lights and cameras. The young man did not wish to sit among those in the crowd, but instead he walked 100 yards away to collect himself and relax. “There is a different feeling in Penal,” were the first words he said as he decided to talk to the media about his choice of selection for the grand final of this long-running television series. “Listen I believe that a song carries so much in it. It is message that is delivered with love, deep love for God. And it must be done in a proper setting. Otherwise the true nature and substance of the song will be lost,” he spoke softly while gesturing with his hands. Sanjay decided a long time ago that as a singer, he would be doing the tunes that are devotional or patriotic. He wanted to create a difference in the in the country’s singing arena. “There is a need to entertain the crowds and people of all walks of life. But there are too many young people out there who are looking for an ounce of fame. They would sing songs with all sorts of vulgar lyrics in order to gain some fame,” he said. For him, it was a matter of relating the glory of Lord Rama and this he did with style when he delivered this powerful song on television.

As graduate of North Eastern College, Sanjay mastered science subjects. However, he has now plunged fully into the world of music and song. He is working on a collection of bhajans to be released in the new year. Apart from being a good singer he plays the tassa, dholak and harmonium. He spends many hours of the day experimenting with the tunes on the harmonium, in the hope of creating new melodies for the tunes he is preparing to record next year. Unlike the young boys Sanjay’s age, he is not into calypso and chutney music. Instead he prefers to listen to songs with uplifting messages. “Most of the people of Trinidad and Tobago do not speak Hindi. But they really enjoy the Hindi tunes, even those with the chutney melody. Whenever a meaningful song is sung, people tend to get the vibration because it is a call from God. It is chanting his name and the soul naturally connects to this,” he said. Sanjay credits his success in singing to his upbringing. “My parents, Gobin and Indra Seecharan have supported me all along. They would encourage me to go to the temple and I did that because I saw how important it was from their actions,” he said.

He also spoke about the influence of Bharmachari Kashyap in his life. He noted that Kashyap showed him how important meditation is in one’s life. “Every young person should experience the art of meditation. It really makes you a stronger person because when you settle yourself and meditate on your path in life you are able to look at yourself from an above angle. Then you can go about making the necessary change needed to get the success that you are searching for,” he said. Sanjay was also actively involved in the Baal Vikaas competition at the Sangre Grande Hindu School where he attained his primary education. He later attended the Sant Nagar Temple, where he would be involved in playing music and singing for the regular Thursday evening services.

It is through these sessions that Sanjay’s devotion to God developed. At first he wasn’t too keen going to the temple. It was after many weeks when he started to sing that he really enjoyed the temple services. Today he is one of the main persons in this temple in Sangre Grande. Although Sanjay is still a teenager, he has plans to help the younger ones who would like to follow a spiritual path in life. “I would like to reach out to the young people who are interested in learning music. It may take a while but I would like to establish an organisation that would reach out to the persons who are genuinely trying to make it in this field,” he continued to say. While Sanjay does not like lecturing or speaking before crowds, when he sings before a large audience, people can see his dedication to the art. The way he sings really says a lot about him.