The Sufis are probably the best at using music as a means to reach out to God. They are totally immersed in their songs and whirl around as if the gods have tossed them like tops. That’s how they surrender to the all powerful, by playing to their game.

Sufism is known for its devotional music and the Dervish dance world over, and although it is not meant for entertainment, it has become a major tourist attraction in Turkey. Even Bollywood borrows a lot from Sufi songs.

The Christians are probably the most clever when it comes to ‘praise and worship’. They use music strategically, aimed at a crowd not God. Church music was used to attract youths when church attendance dwindled and it is used by evangelist as a fun way of spreading the word of God.

Christians break the monotony of Bible reading with gospel songs and, without doubt, the congregation suddenly comes to life each time The Lord is My Savior is sung. No one knows for sure why the Song of Songs is even in the Bible but it will surely have a teenager hooked on to the holy book. The book of Psalms, the favourite book among Christians, is basically a collection of songs. But it is considered the bible within the Bible. The book is placed right after the book of Job, a poignant story of a biblical character whose world came crashing down despite him being a very good person. To the reader, Psalm comes as a relief, albeit not comic.

The Hindus are probably the most comic if not most confused when it comes to choosing their worship songs. There are few jingles like Om Jai Jagdish that every Hindu knows by heart and when to sing it, but when the community gathers for worship through songs, the real fun begins.

Jagarans (literally to remain awake) are like rock concerts because of their vaudeville set-up, the life-sized idols, streaks of light bulbs and high-voltage speakers, all taking place under a canopy and continuing till 3 in the morning.

The singers are rock stars for the night, they take control of the devotees and sway them with their songs. They often break into a dialogue, provoking the crowd into loud cheers and their “I can’t hear you”, if it is not loud enough, is typical of a rock show.

The funny part is that most of their songs are a rehash of popular Bollywood songs, maybe because the crowd can sing along to the tune. But some go to the extent of singing praises of God to the tune of Kaanta Laaga and No Entry. How much of Ballyhooed songs will help in worship I can’t tell, but it surely keeps the nieghbourhood ‘awake’ all night long. But is that all jagaran stands for?