New Delhi: Every Sunday, 71-year-old Rajkumar Bhagchandani lets loose his inner Rafi at the DDA park in Janakpuri B-block. In his brown and black striped Rajesh Khanna-style cap, he croons into the mic, moving from one Bollywood classic to another.
Bhagchandani is part of a 92-strong group of residents—mostly senior citizens—who call themselves the Dhoom Machalo Group. They’ve traded laughter clubs, bhajans and morning aartis for karaoke. Dancing and singing to old Bollywood and Punjabi hits is the new Sunday entertainment.
And they’re not the only ones looking to add a bit of zing to the ritual of park gatherings. Another group of senior citizens has formed the Happy Environment Tea Club, where they connect over chai and samosas every week.
“I am too young for jagrata and bhajan,” said Bhagchandani, a theatre artist. A karaoke mic in hand, he runs through the lyrics of the 1964 song, Teri Nigahon Pe Mar Mar Gaye Ham by Mukesh.
In this DDA park, residents have one agenda: to sing their hearts out. There is no stage. No spotlight. Just a portable mic, a tablet, and a speaker.
“We call it karaoke, but it’s much more than that,” said Rakesh Babbar (52), who started this group last year on Basant Panchmi with his friends and an initial investment of Rs. 50,000.
They even have celebrity resident members like Manju Sharma, who played the role of Mrs Bhatia in the film Vicky Donor (2012). Actor-singer Rohit Khanna, who is currently shooting a movie with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, was also invited for the programme that day.
“It’s not just a routine—it’s therapy. It’s our lifeline,” said Babbar.
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Before the ‘performance’, residents run through a fitness routine, yoga asanas, and a quick laughter session to warm up their vocal cords.
A member queues up the medley of songs. Babbar sets up the sound system, connecting his phone’s Bluetooth to get the music started. And at 7:30 am on the dot, songs like Lata Mangeshkar’s Lag Jaa Gale, Kishor Kumar’s Yeh Shaam Mastani, and Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho can be heard from their corner of the large park.
“At this age, most people think we just sit at home and watch TV,” said a retired engineer who comes for karaoke mornings with his wife. “But here we are, doing concerts under the trees.”
A member of the group picks up the mic and starts singing, Zindagi ek safar. The crowd cheers. A few of them get up and dance. A dog walker passing by rushes to capture the moment on her phone.
“For us, this is our stress buster. We leave our worries behind and get lost in the music,” said Sunita, 67, a retired teacher. She’s up next, and she plans to sing Ik Pardesi Mera Dil Le Gaya.
Each session features nearly 50 to 60 songs. There’s no fee to join the group, but there’s a long waitlist—with members sometimes waiting weeks for their turn. It’s a far cry from the initial days of the Dhoom Machalo group when Babbar and his friend Chandraprakash Chauhan decided to start a singing club and bond over their love for music with their friends.
“In the beginning, people would stop, listen for a minute, and quietly move on,” recalled Babbar. “But slowly, they started staying longer. Then they came back the next week. And the week after.”
“Today, we get invitations from Tagore Garden and Tilak Nagar. Our dream is to take this show all the way to Mumbai,” said Babbar. “It reminds us of the old orchestra days.”
Chai, politics & melodies
In the same park where the Dhoom Machalo members congregate, the Happy Environment Tea Club also gathers every morning. It’s an all-male group of businessmen, retired government officials, and professionals who take sessions very seriously.
The conversation moves from family to cricket and politics. Monu Sachar (50) teases his Dubai-returned friend Roop Kumar Garibdasani while placing the tea kettle on the gas stove.
“There is no woman who is not his friend,” he said.
Every week, one sub-group, based on a colour-coded schedule—green, orange, yellow, or blue—takes charge of the snacks and arrangements. It can range from chole bhature in winter to refreshing thandai and fruit chaat in summer, and Bombay sandwich and poha.
Started right before the pandemic, the Tea Club has been influenced by the Dhoom Machalo. The two groups often join forces. Now, karaoke is on the menu, and younger members want to join in.
A 28-year-old taekwondo teacher, Ashish, sang songs from Shah Rukh Khan’s film Kal Ho Na Ho to impress the group. Another resident, a retired professor, made a case for RWAs to expand on these initiatives across New Delhi. And not just music—they also want poetry readings and debates to be encouraged.
As the two hours end, the members reluctantly pack up their microphones. But the laughter and humming don’t stop. Among the members is Meena, 73, a retired teacher.
“We might be older, but we aren’t done living,” she said.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)