GEV 2027 Retreat with Radhika Das at Govardhan Ecovillage

On Sunday, January 3, 2027, Radhika Das will lead a multi-day kirtan retreat at Govardhan Ecovillage in Maharashtra — a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in call-and-response devotional chanting rooted in the Bhakti tradition, held within a community explicitly built around contemplative practice and sustainable living.

Radhika's evenings of kirtan are intimate and participatory: a single Sanskrit mantra can be sung for ten, twenty, sometimes thirty minutes at a stretch. A harmonium, tabla, and small band of regulars lay down a groove while Radhika's voice moves between tenderness and full-throated devotion. The room builds slowly — audiences sit, stand, sway, or dance. No prior knowledge is required.

His performances have filled London's Union Chapel and the British Museum courtyard, yet the form remains essentially communal prayer, not spectacle. You're joining a shared practice, not watching a concert.

At Govardhan Ecovillage, this experience deepens into a retreat rhythm: kirtan woven into daily rhythms of meditation, rest, and community living. Expect mantras to Radha and Krishna, long melodic cycles, and moments of stillness between chants. His musical style draws from traditional Indian devotional music while welcoming Western seekers — his following now exceeds a million online, reflecting that cross-cultural reach.

Attendees typically include Hindus, curious seekers, meditators, and people who've never chanted before. This isn't a lecture or polished stage show. Radhika shares brief context, but the focus is experiential: sitting on the floor, repeating Sanskrit, and discovering what arises when the mind rests into repetition.

Come ready to sit, to repeat strange words, and possibly to cry or laugh for reasons you cannot quite explain. This retreat suits anyone drawn to mantra, devotional singing, or contemplative community — and won't suit those seeking intellectual discourse or performance entertainment.