Exponent of Gurbani kirtan
By Rashmi Talwar
“THE fading memories of the masses scares me. I am in a war. My mission is to salvage what is left of our heritage, tradition and the ‘bani’ of the Gurus.”

AUDIOSCAN

SIGHT & SOUND

Exponent of Gurbani kirtan
By Rashmi Talwar

“THE fading memories of the masses scares me. I am in a war. My mission is to salvage what is left of our heritage, tradition and the ‘bani’ of the Gurus.”

These are the sentiments of Bhai Baldeep Singh (30), Gurbani kirtankar, who traces his origins to the family of illustrious regis for 13 generations from the time of the Sikh Gurus.

Great grandnephew to Baba Jwala Singh Ragi, one of the first ragis in the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar Gharana, widely revered as a saint scholar and prodigious musician of the century.

Bhai Baldeep Singh faced a major existential dilemma about a decade ago when he was selected to train as a commissioned officer in the Indian Air Force in the footsteps of his father, an Air Force pilot.

Torn between the choice to pilot aircraft and the humble pursuit of a tradition in Gurbani kirtan parampara, he chose the latter.

Having made his choice, he began meeting legendary exponents and scholars and going over the holy scriptures of the Guru Granth Sahib endlessly.

He trained under legendary percussionist Ustad Bhai Arjan Singh Tarangar. His tutelage continued under Ustad Mohinder Singh after the death of his mentor. To eventually emerge as perhaps the only exponent today of the “jori pakhawaj”, a musical instrument since the glorious tradition of Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru).

The spiritual powers of the percussion instruments have been acknowledged by maestros like Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar whom he accompanied at some of the major Indian concerts.

Learning “dhrupad style of gayaki” from the likes of Ustad Dagar and Ustad M.Hafiz Khan of Lahore was a formidable experience recalls Bhai Baldeep Singh. He learned to render over 500 traditional compositions of the “bani”.

Rooted to the Gurbani parampara and garnered with the knowledge gained under the supervision of his grand uncles Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Gurcharan Singh, Bhai Baldeep Singh sounds a dissenting note on the nuances, gestures and modes of addressing the “pritam” or the “paramatma” or God through kirtan in the modern times. He finds a decimation of Sikh tradition with respect to Gurbani kirtan.

Actively involved in all aspects of kirtan from instruments to environment of Sikh architectural magnificence, his young years propelled him to make documentary films. “Sikh Kirtani Maryada”, a documentary, received critical acclaim at the international documentary film festival held in Kerala.

A wide knowledge in the study of the Sikh gurdwara architecture has lent him the credence to comment upon the recent restoration work of gold plating in the Darbar Sahib. Criticising the restoration, he termed it instead as renovation work. “The nearly 196-year-old gold was removed without a thought to the marvel of inlays, the kind of pressure and temperature that could be withstood by miniature delicate nikhashi,” he added.

Bhai Baldeep Singh also claims to have revived the once active string instruments such as the rebab, saranda, taus and the jori pakhawaj back into the living tradition of the kirtan parampara.

Although an amritdhari Sikh himself, his wide travelling soirees, holding workshops, concerts, teaching and illustrations in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, Singapore etc have served to make him a liberal. He comments, “Sikh identity is not in crisis because of keeping or not keeping the hair or ‘kesh’, but because of the fading concepts of true Sikhism which we fail to promote to the younger generation through example and adequate exposure.”

Under the veneer of his serious pursuits, Bhai Baldeep Singh is a fun-loving person. While being able to speak fluent English, he suddenly breaks into rustic and chaste Punjabi and shyly reveals his special interest in watching racing cars formula I shows on television and playing squash.

Critics acclaim him as a proponent of “sucha kirtan” (pure kirtan). A glimpse of this was witnessed in Amritsar at the inaugural night in the majestic ramparts of the 108-year-old Khalsa College in the rendition of “shaan” that augurs the birth of the auspicious on jori-pakhawaj played after nearly 200 years in the city.

The auspicious in this case was the ancient, cultural and traditional heritage of dance, music, art forms and yoga unleashed to the youth in a month-long festival, Virasat-2000, organised by a countrywide youth organisation SPICMACAY, Punjab chapter, under the supervision of Ms Manveen Sandhu.

AUDIOSCAN 
by ASC
Desh ka salaam

JANA GANA MANA (Sony): There are some timeless voices — classical, contemporary and across generations — which are as eternal as India. Most of them have come together in this album to render the National Anthem the way it has been never rendered before. Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya hai..., the powerful and soulful creation of Rabindranath Tagore, has been recreated dynamically by soulful maestros like Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pt Jasraj, Lata Mangeshkar, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Dr Balamuralikrishna, Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, Shobha Gurtu, Begum Parveena Sultana, Asha Bhosle, Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ustad Sultan Khan, Jagjit Singh, Kavita Krishnamurthy, S.P. Balasubramaniam, Bupen Hazarika, Hariharan and many more.

The persons behind this unity in diversity are Bharatbala and Kanika, who conceived and directed this mega project on the occasion of the 50th year of the Indian Republic. Music has been produced by A.R. Rahman. The album begins with a collective vocal version, followed by individual renditions. Interwoven with the National Anthem is the alaap of Desh ka salaam…. There are collective vocal as well as collective instrumental renditions.

It must have been a logistical nightmare to record this album. As Pt Jasraj comments: “We all know how difficult it is to get two artistes to do a duet, and they (Bharat, Kanika and Rahman) have brought together 65 of us. They are really and truly the Three Musketeers”.

The album is a magnum opus, and so is its music video. The vocal version features all contributing artistes. The instrumental version has been shot in Ladakh. All instrumentalists featured in the album were specially flown to Ladakh for the on-location shoot. Forty musicians and 300 jawans have been captured on film as they saluted the Indian flag. A timeless creation, indeed.

KAROBAAR (VENUS): Even in an out-and-out commercial film, Rajesh Roshan manages to confirm his originality and individuality. He is helped further here by the fact that lyrics here are done by Javed Akhtar. The chemistry between the two works and we have a polished album.

What adds to the charm is that fact that there are only six songs, two of which are repeated in instrumental versions. If the opening song Sunona sunona… (Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu) is made memorable by its lovely tune, Aao aur na socho… (Kumar Sanu) is remarkable for Javed’s unusual poetry. Alisha Chinoy impresses in Maujon mein sanam… while Asha Bhosle, Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan gel well in Duniya mein sabse….

ROOTHE TO MANAVE KAUN (Tips): Hans Raj Hans is hot property these days. Cashing in on the popularity, Tips have come up with this album of some of his old Punjabi hits, coupling them with three new ones.

The mix and match has brought about a bit of imbalance, what with three of the eight songs being “vidai” numbers. It is another matter that he has done a professional job of them.

Hans tries his hand at satire in Ishq di navion navin bahar….

Lyrics are penned by Babu Singh Mann, H. Kang, R.Hans, Surjeet Patar, Bhushan and Amardeep Gill.

Donning a new mantle
By Mohit Goswami

AFTER the success of his album “Yaari Yaari”, Shankar Sahney has now moved on. With the recording of a duet with Hema Sardesai for a forthcoming Sunny Deol-starrer, he has made his foray into playback singing for films.

Shankar has come a long way from the “Machhli Hai Oye” days. This album and his second effort, “Aj Nachno Ni Hatna”, were released only in Punjab. He also did a remix album, “Punjabi Munda”, which did average business. It was music maestro Jawahar Wattal who gave him the big break with “Yaari Yaari”, his first album to be released nationwide.

With the Punjabi pop scene already crowded, it was not easy for another new entrant to make his mark. But his talent and the musical score of Jawahar saw him through. Working with Jawahar has been a wonderful experience, recalls Shankar. The title track and Kudi Kurmuri ... were instant hits.

Shankar was born into a musical family. The youngest son of Prof Tej Bahadur Sahney, a proponent of the Kirana Gharana, he was initiated into the world of music at the tender age of three. His skills were honed by his father. As a child artiste, he performed in many shows on television and for radio, besides recording for albums.

Training in classical music has given him a solid foundation, he claims. Though a chemical engineer, he could not stay away from music. He recorded as a guitarist and singer for over 500 albums during his college days.

His success has motivated him to diversify. He is anchoring Jhankar, a musical programme, on Doordarshan. Two more shows anchored by him are going to begin soon on other channels. He was given the Best Punjabi Pop Singer Award at a function in Amritsar recently.

The trend is not of cashing in on the popularity of Punjabi pop music, clarifies Shankar. Punjabi music comes naturally to him, he says. It is a coincidence that his album has hit the market when Punjabi pop is very popular, he explains. The competition is healthy as it means better music, he adds.

He is currently working on his next album to be released by Tips. This album will have a variety of numbers, says Shankar. He foresees a long innings for himself on the music scene, exuding confidence that his next venture will be a success.

Sight & Sound
by Amita Malik
Uncle Anupam, hero Shaktiman

ON Indian TV, it has usually been women and children last. The children getting Chhutti Chhutti during the holidays when hopefully they have escaped out of doors enjoying themselves. They are now also getting large doses of Disney what with liberalisation and they also figure in audience participation shows where they can lambast and embarrass their parents with the help of the anchor. There are also odious music shows where they come and do the sexy Mumbai song and dance routine and set our teeth on edge. So if I am asked if there is anywhere where they shine because of their natural talents and their ability to be themselves, it is in the long-lasting and ever-enjoyable Cadbury Quiz. Lucky they are too young to be participants in Kaun Banega Crorepati or they would have wiped the floor with the unlikely participants with big ambitions who walk away with lakhs with the aid of three lifelines.

However, this week I watched two much-discussed shows, the first by choice, because I hold Anupam Kher in high regard and the second because Shaktiman has been the centre of so much controversy. Anupam Kher’s dialogue with children on SABE TV left me with mixed feelings. Because the questions he asks tiny tots are more adult-orientated and more in the nature of leg-pulling to raise laughs from adults instead of allowing the children to be child-like and operate at their own mental and emotional level. Do you have girl-friends? Do you hate your younger sister because your parents love her more? Whom do you love more, your father or your mother? I am not sure these questions are either fair or necessary. Not that the kids are camera-shy or reluctant to answer. After the initial shyness they start playing to the gallery which, again, is good for adult laughs. Both Kher and the children were much more fun when they dealt with the everyday life of the kids.And let me not deny that Kher does draw out the children with patience and warmth. If only he were not laughing up his sleeve at them.

Shaktiman, now, is a very different cup of tea. Much more commercialised with such goodies as glamorous Shaktiman costumes, complete with gold trimmings on plush maroon velvet as prizes. Unfortunately, I came in a little late and had to sit through a solemn moral lecture on good behaviour to the kids, totally without visuals. I found it not only boring but uninspiring. I think that would have been my reaction even as a child. But at least it did not encourage children to jump from windows or try to stop running trains with their bare hands. I shall have to watch more of this programme to catch the action.

The Vajpayee trip has been top news, naturally. DD depended on quantity with an outsize team. Some of its technical quality was truly appalling, such as Jaswant Singh at the NASDQ Centre and when Lalit Mansingh was questioned at some other spot, the questioner could not be heard and Mansingh’s sound was distorted. As against DD’s football team, loner Rajdeep Sardesai, where everyone was getting the same people, managed brief exclusives with both President Clinton and Dr Ranawat. This column is going to the press before the last lap at Washington. I was very intrigued to find, and this was from the UN logo and common to all channels, that Millenium was spelt as Millennium, with two N’s, which is not what the dictionary says. And while we are on the verge of the Olympics, I have often wondered why all Hindi anchors, sports commentators and newscasters pronounce it as Oh-Lum-pics, completely dropping the Y. I have since discovered by watching the screen, that that is how they spell it although Hindi is a rich and elastic enough language to cope with the right pronunciation. Let us hope we shall be spared this oddity and DD’s usual multilation of sports events with advertisements, breakdowns and poor commentators.

TAIL-PIECE: I have been trying to analyse the secret of the success of Amitabh Bachchan as anchor for KBC. I think it lies in his beautiful voice (remember Satyajit Ray had him as narrator in Shatranj?) his unflappability in the face of dunderheads who can be infuriating at times, and unfailing courtesy, laced with warm wit in dealing with even the accompanying husbands, wives and mothers, the elegant but communicative Hindi he uses which all of us can understand, the way he puts everyone at ease with a kind touch, his exquisite courtesy, which even extended to picking up for her a crumpled handkerchief which a nervous woman had dropped. To use an old-fashioned word, Bachchan comes across as a gentleman, who can quote Madhushala when required but speculate on the correct pronunciation of a word in the middle of it all. I doubt if anyone will be able to surpass him.

Exploration of inner space
By Prem Singh

THE Government College of Art, Chandigarh, is now in the golden jubilee year of its existence. The college has envisaged many programmes to make this year commemorative and eventful. One of the programmes is to organise an exhibition of the works of young and talented artists who have been associated with the college as students. One such name is that of Subhash Shorey. Recently he was awarded the cultural scholarship by the Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi, for advanced training in visual arts under Brahm Prakash, an artist and senior member of the faculty at the college.

During the past decade Subhash has been making a name in the field of drawing and painting. However, experts on the interview board found in him the potential of a printmaker and offered him the opportunity to explore this medium.

Since 1998 he has been working at the printmaking studios of the college. His explorations in etching and aquatint have added a fresh appeal to his work. At times he has worked in mixed media using rollers of different density and inks of varying viscosities and produced interesting works.

Subhash is exhibiting graphics, drawing and mixed media works at the studios of the college from September 15 to 23.

Subhash calls his work an exploration of his inner space. His inspiration is nature. He attempts to create a harmonious balance between observation and imagination be a it a drawing, painting or graphics. The restless and suffering self in the process of creativity is what stimulates him the most. The sublimation of the sensuous and the spiritual in his compositions have a simmering glow. There is an aura of mysticism also. The etching and aquatint have been put to effective use in producing the right ambience to his prints.

The struggle for an image has also led him to cut his prints into strips probably done to deconstruct the existing and construct anew. This has added a new dimension to the image in his prints, which at places changes the entire meaning of his idea and image. The sensuousness has given way to kinetic effects. It seems that an invisible war is still on within him. His “constructed” prints no doubt appear visually more exciting, but are exploratory and experimental. Nevertheless, the exhibition on view shows Subhash in a new light marked with a renewed energy, concern and commitment in his creative conceptual convictions.