Braj Mandal, which once resonated with the sweet tunes of Shri Krishna's flute and classical music of ancient temples, is now filled with noise and cacophony. This change can be clearly seen in holy places like Vrindavan, Mathura, Govardhan and Barsana.

Traditional Braj folk songs and classical music have now been replaced by ear-splitting and vulgar folk songs. The double-meaning dialogues and dances present in these songs not only entertain the audience but also distort the culture which is losing its purity. Temples are now dominated by loud devotional songs played on pre-recorded music, which disturbs pilgrims and weakens spirituality.

Local musicologists and educationists have expressed deep concern about this noise pollution. They say that this cultural pollution is affecting the spiritual peace of Braj Mandal. In such a situation, we must create awareness in this direction and try to revive traditional music and art. This is not only a matter of music, but also a question of protecting our cultural heritage. We have to unite against this noise pollution so that the peace and beauty of Braj Mandal are not affected.

There was a time when nature used to be delighted by the sweet tunes of traditional musical instruments, the murmuring music of Kalindi, Samaj Gayan in temples, bhajans of Ashta Chaap poets were sung, today everywhere we get to hear ear-splitting and extremely vulgar folk songs, Rasiya, double meaning dialogues on the decks.

While once temples known for Haveli Sangeet reverberated with melodious and divine tunes, today you only get to hear loud, cacophonous devotional songs on CDs by unknown artists, played at full volume at hundreds of shops selling religious items to pilgrims visiting temples associated with the Krishna-Radha Katha.

The markets along the lanes of the Sri Banke Bihari temple in the heart of Vrindavan are full of vendors selling pre-recorded pen drives, videos, CDs, etc. “The high voltage noise from these shops round the clock has taken the level of idiocy to new heights,” says a Sangeetacharya.

That is, you can no longer listen to sacred and ancient classical music or divine bhajans, which have a soothing and healing effect on both body and mind. It is the noise coming from the big sound boxes. You cannot hear anything and indoors you cannot meditate, or do your daily chores without getting distracted. Elderly people are the worst affected. Women and children are easily irritated and lose their temper due to the high decibel levels.

A local educationist said, "It has become impossible to tolerate such noise pollution now." A temple goswami deeply regretted that "this current music marketing is affecting the spiritual peace of Vrindavan so much and is totally against the Braj folk music traditions that something needs to be done immediately to stop the negative trend." He also said that a proper music university should be established in Vrindavan to nurture and promote the great musical traditions of Swami Hari Das.

This noise is not just in Vrindavan, Govardhan, Mathura, and Barsana, everywhere you will find shops selling music material. According to a rough estimate, at least hundreds of counters have opened in Braj Mandal from where one can buy Braj music. These include singing related to Holi, Devi Jagran, Parikrama, Yatra, and festivals.

Now, we also have local studios that record, market and record dance music-based programmes. And, some many untrained musicians and singers take a lot of inspiration from Bollywood music and add their own lyrics and include special sound effects like echo or jhankar and electronic beats. There are dozens of songs doing brisk business every festive season. DJ bhajans are in demand as these folk songs are full of double-meaning words and at times suggest sex. While the local music industry is flourishing, the quality of the output is a matter of concern. There are also a good number of YouTubers and reel makers who are promoting this new trend.

The storytellers, katha vachaks of Vrindavan have also set up their own music and dance troupes. This is the golden period for the promotion and propagation of Braj culture. Before the invasion of this modern age music, there were groups of musicians and bhajan singers in the temples of Braj who were adept at Braj folk songs based on classical ragas like Pilu, Bhairavi, Gara, Basant and Maand with traditional talas.

Vrindavan, situated on the banks of the sacred Yamuna, was the centre of Dhrupad singing. The Bhagavata Purana states that Lalita Sakhi sang in the Dhrupad style during the famous ‘Raas’-dance. Since then this tradition of the ancient form of worship of Lord Krishna has been maintained in the temples of Vrindavan. Dhrupad is a special North Indian style of classical music belonging to the Braj Mandal. It was developed by the famous Swami Harid of Vrindavan, the guru of the world-famous Tansen.