Devotion in a language we know

I BELONG to a Sai organisation. I love Swami’s teachings and practise it daily.

But what my children and I, and most of the younger generation devotees, miss most is that we sing in a language we barely understand and don’t feel one to one with God.

The younger generation barely understand the Tamil or Hindi language and I believe centres need to sing more English songs.

Some centres don’t even put up the English meanings. It is no use going to service if we cannot understand what we sing.

The songs in vernacular are mostly enjoyed by the elderly – not the younger generation.

My children refuse to go the ashram these days as every week new bhajans are been sung and we don’t understand the words.

They ask me if they can go to church as their friends in school sing such beautiful English songs to the Lord and when they sing, their friends ask them for the meanings and they cannot respond as they don’t understand the vernacular language.

I have spoken to many Hindi and Tamil friends and family about what my children and I feel, and I was shocked.

They all attend services at different religious organisations and feel the same way I do.

Members at religious organisations should consider songs in English that appeal to the younger generation.

Or they should be prepared to lose many to the Christian religion, which has already happened.

I have mentioned this to committee members time and time again but it falls on deaf ears.

I feel sad as I love my religion but we want to praise God in the language we understand.

Singing and praising God in the language we understand should make us happy and make our hearts beat stronger for our Lord, especially when we know what we are singing.