Where do jammers unite?

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Youngsters in Delhi get together for a jamming session every second Sunday of the month

It may not be as big as Tom Morello’s Occupy Guitarmy, but it sure has the energy to match it. People trickle in slowly, there are familiar hugs and hesitant smiles. It’s time for everyone gathered to pick up a weapon of choice. Tuning is followed by humming, and the music slowly takes off till the energy reaches a crescendo. This is how an evening with Jude or the Jammers United Delhi Etc. pans out.

Jude, a group that grew from three musicians to an army of thousands, has been holding jam sessions every second Sunday across Delhi since October 2011. The jam is an open session where music enthusiasts and singers play an instrument of their choice or sing together. About 40 active members jam at each session and curious passersby stop and join in.
The idea behind Jude was mighty simple — to find a sense of purpose in life. It was to get away from the mundane rat race and to pursue their passion for music that Shubham Khurana, Shashank and Maniraj Juneja started the group. “I used to play in college band. After I graduated, I was disconnected from music. One day we were talking and thought we could start another group like the Delhi Drummer Circle. Work-life balance is very important and so is being happy and feeling alive,” Shubham said.
Unlike the Delhi Drummer Circle, which is a percussionists-only group, points out Maniraj, Jude is an open informal group that allows people to play or sing whatever they want.
“One Sunday, I bumped into a friend from Hyderabad. He took me to a Jude jam at the Deer Park. I got lucky and someone gave me a guitar, I was swept away by the moment and the music,” said Arnav Mohan, an IIIT-Hyderabad graduate, of the jam session he attended on June 10.
“On an average I make at least four to five friends per session,” smiles Shubham. The jamming session is generally followed by a chit-chat session. Maniraj said they are going to keep it simple and Jude will remain a group dedicated to music alone.