DJs take a hit with no Kanwar Yatra this year
The month of Shravan is all about worshipping Lord Shiva and, hence, what becomes a common sight during this holy period is kanwariyas. But this year, there wouldn’t be any sort of blaring music and raring boys dancing on the roads, as the pandemic has led to the Kanwar Yatra being called off. And with this, what will also take a hit are the local DJs, who usually set up their consoles inside the trucks or at roadside tents to make way for deafening music.
“Hum Mahakanwar group ke liye bhejte thhe har saal... sound system, a vehicle to carry it, and a boy to operate. All this for eight days for ₹50,000. But this year, pehle shaadiyon ki booking nahi hui because guest list got reduced, and then came the cancellation of Kanwar Yatra,” says Karan Kumar from Gurugram-based Karan Sound System.
For Krishna DJ from Gurugram, this used to be the peak season for making good gains as Kanwar groups won’t haggle over the price. “We used to provide DJs to around six to seven Kanwar groups, and each one of them has paid us a good amount in the past. Last year, the maximum we earned from one group was ₹90,000,” he shares.
DJs used to even plan their playlist months in advance, with a specially curated list of songs dedicated to Shiva. “I selected a popular playlist for kanwariyas, but this time everything seems off. No new chartbuster has come out, varna toh gaano ki line lag jati thi,” says Delhi-based Mahesh Paswan, who has been renting DJs to kanwariyas.