Viral Gujarat Video Shows Folk Singer Singing Calmly Under Mountain of Cash
Junagadh, 16th May 2026: A viral video showing a popular Gujarati folk and bhajan singer being showered with large amounts of currency notes during a traditional Dayro performance has taken social media by storm.
The incident took place on the night of May 14, 2026, during a Shrimad Bhagwat Saptah — a week-long devotional discourse and cultural programme — organised in Khambhaliya village in Malia Hatina taluka of Junagadh district. Folk singer Gopal Sadhu, known for his performances in the traditional Gujarati Dayro format that blends music, storytelling, humour, and devotional songs, was performing on stage when devotees began showering him with bundles and sacks of cash.
In the widely circulated video clip, Sadhu is seen calmly continuing to sing and play the harmonium as notes of various denominations — mainly ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, and some ₹500 notes — rained down and piled up around him. At one point, the mound of cash reportedly grew so high that he was nearly buried under it, yet he remained unfazed and completed his performance without interruption.
Similar scenes were reportedly witnessed during performances by other artists, including Mayabhai Ahir and Jignesh Kaviraj, at the same multi-day event.
Organisers of the Ahir Samaj-backed programme clarified that the cash offerings — a longstanding tradition of appreciation known as uchchamni in Gujarat’s folk music gatherings — would be used for charitable purposes. After deducting event expenses, the collected funds will be donated to the Gujarat Ahir Kanya Chhatralaya, a girls’ hostel and educational complex project in Ahmedabad aimed at supporting the Ahir community.
The video has triggered mixed reactions online. While many people praised the devotees’ generosity and the cultural tradition, others questioned the public display of large amounts of cash, with some calling it excessive or disrespectful towards money. Similar incidents involving singers such as Kirtidan Gadhvi have been reported in Gujarat in the past.
The event once again highlighted the deep-rooted connection between devotion, folk culture, and community philanthropy in rural Gujarat.
