Taus
Music
Music of the Spheres
by CHARU SINGH
Bhai Baldeep Singh is a rare artiste and a mystic studying the deeper mysteries of Naad or Svaar - the divinity of sound, of syllable, of voice raised and suspended, of silence within and beyond the voice and of the deep sacredness of Naad.
Baldeep Singh is an exponent of the kirtan maryada tradition that stems from the compositions of the Gurus in the Guru Granth Sahib. He is the 13th generation exponent of this tradition that he has inherited from his grand-uncles and their forefathers, specifically from Bhai Gurcharan Singh and Bhai Avtar Singh.
He is also a dhrupad and jori exponent as well as a versatile scholar-teacher who attempts to transmit this rare heritage of sacred Sikh music to students in India and abroad.
In a unique journey of discovery, Baldeep Singh's interest in Naad led to deep research and reproduction of instruments played in the Guru's courts - instruments which are virtually extinct today. The idea was to bring alive the sound of the intense spiritual music as it was played in the sixteenth century.
This search led him through difficult years, when he tried to find craftsmen who could replicate these instruments. He learned the craft of instrument-making from Gyani Harbhajan Singh.
Today he not only makes these instruments, but has students to whom he is transmitting this rare knowledge. He is credited with reviving the pakhawaj-mridang and jori of Punjab and has also carved by hand the nomadic rabab, saranda, taus and dilruba.
Baldeep Singh says: "The entire purpose of my existence in the field of arts is as a conservator, especially with regard to the intangible, with the living assets of our heritage. My concept of conservation is to learn and live them".
He adds: "I really pioneered the instrument revival from 1987 onwards. It was back then that I began a hunt for people who could make instruments dating to the Bhakti and Gurbani tradition. My search led me to Gyani Harbhajan Singh Mistry and, since the early 90s, I have handcrafted back to life the taus, the dhrupadi rebab, the saranda and the jori-pakhawaj of the Guru's court".
In an attempt to get more organized in the spreading of his unique talents and wisdom, Baldeep Singh has set up the "Anad Foundation", currently headquartered in New Delhi, but with ambitious plans of launching a conservatory at the fortress of Sultanpur Lodhi, near Kapurthala, Punjab.
"My vision for the Anad conservatory, an institute of Sikh aesthetics and culture, is really to set up an open university dedicated to cultural studies. We already have a panel of top conservation architects from across the world to initiate the work at the fortress of Sultanpur Lodhi, negotiations for which are currently at an advanced stage".
In Delhi, Baldeep Singh plans to set up a rare Sikh arts gallery with a unique instruments display. He also started a concert series in 2005, called "Laya Darshan", to celebrate the richness of rhythm.
Another concert series, "Jashan", began in 2006. He also did a concert for peace and understanding in Arizona, U.S.A.. The Anad lecture series was initiated in 2007 and lastly, there is the Anad Kav Mala, which includes a series of events celebrating poetry, beginning in March this year.
[Courtesy: The Tribune]
[More information about Bhai Baldeep Singh can be found on his website: www.bhaibaldeepsingh.com.]
Conversation about this article
1: Happy (Canada), February 27, 2008, 12:39 PM.
Bhai Sahib, you're doing a really great job. May Waheguru bless you and give you every success ...
2: Jagdeep Singh (London, England), February 27, 2008, 6:31 PM.
I have only recently begun to understand the depth of the Sikh musical culture. It's almost as if, in the U.K., Sikhs either neglected this aspect of our religious life, or deliberately chose to ignore it or emphasize other aspects of our religious culture, or to pursue stultifying identity politics and other sectarian causes. But, having spent time with Sikh musicians and learning about how immersed our tradition is in the classical music tradition, how our very Guru Granth Sahib is set to prescribed classical raags and metres, I have come to the conclusion that Sikhi is almost a religion of music. I cannot think of another tradition or faith that has music so deeply embedded in its very structure and spirituality. Music elevates the soul and almost puts you in touch with divinity and becomes a form of meditative bliss. I think Gurdwarey should set up institutions to help disseminate, study, teach and encourage our musical culture. This is an aspect of our religion that we can emphasize, because it will appeal to everyone, even non-Sikhs, and I believe it will help bring young Sikhs in the diaspora closer to our religion, and really underscore this spiritually uplifting and creative aspect of Sikhi.
3: Jagdeep Singh (London, England), February 27, 2008, 6:56 PM.
It would be great if Bhai Baldeep Singh ji could set up a myspace site so we could listen to some of his compositions online.
4: Chintan Singh (San Jose, California, U.S.A.), February 27, 2008, 7:21 PM.
I have heard a great deal about Bhai Baldeep Singh but never had the opportunity of listening to his kirtan. Are there any CD's available? I hope someday we are able to have kirtan classes locally here in North American Gurdwara schools, with the traditional instruments that Bhai Baldeep Singh has painstakingly conserved for our coming generations. [Editor: He does come to North America each year and does hold classes which, I'm told, are well attended and appreciated. We urge him to publicize his plans well in advance henceforth.]
5: Jagdeep Singh (London, England), February 27, 2008, 11:33 PM.
Further to my last posts: Gurdwarey in Britain collect millions of pounds, maybe even tens of millions of pounds, every year from the U.K. sangat. Of course, after basic costs are met, some of this must go to charity. Let's forget momentarily about the funds that are misused for whatever reason. Once all basic bills have been paid, instead of planning another layer of marble or gold plated door handles, wouldn't it be great if one could plan, build and fund a couple of institutions to study the classical Sikh music tradition? It could be kept alive, studied and taught to young Sikhs, and non-Sikhs too, if they are interested. The parchaar that could be done by bringing these kirtanis into our Gurdwarey to do traditional, soul inspiring kirtan would be incredible, but it would also preserve this incredibly beautiful aspect of our tradition alive, and bring it to the wider world too. But this takes planning and collective action, something that we sometimes fail to do to the extent needed.
6: Raj (U.S.A.), February 27, 2008, 11:58 PM.
I've met him and listened to his renditions of Gurubani ragas. Indeed, there are Sikh musicians who have done marvellous work in their field, but go almost unnoticed by their own. They seldom encourage their children, though, to follow their footsteps, because it isn't much of a career move. The point I'm trying to make is, we should support our fine artists in every possible way ... so that they can delve even deeper into the Guru's Word and reveal it to us, because indeed it takes a special soul to make a fine artist.
7: Satvir Kaur (Boston, U.S.A.), February 28, 2008, 11:23 AM.
I'd love to attend his classes. He's doing such a wonderful seva.
8: Bhinder (Canada), February 28, 2008, 11:37 PM.
I agree with Raj, most people will flock to third class shows rather than classical concert. We should learn from the Bengalis: they promote and support their classical musicians. Without support, see what happened to the famous Jagjit Singh. I saw him doing kirtan in 1960, and look what he ended up doing for a living. Dilip Chandar Bedi is another such example.