Our Vision
Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji has been the pioneer of popularization and advancement of classical music in India. Gwalior court musician and Sarod maestro, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan described him as the ‘mystic and the emperor’ who showed the way classical music should be respected and adopted in one’s life. Satguru Nanak Dev Ji placed the foundation of Sikhism in the melodies of Rabab, making music inseparable from spirituality. This legacy of Satguru Nanak was popularized by Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji worldwide. He carried forward the heritage of music duly preserved by his father Satguru Partap Singh Ji, which included traditional compositions and renditions of Sikh kirtan, now extinct in most parts of Punjab. Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji kept this traditional form of music alive in Namdhari style of kirtan. He brought the intricacies of Hindustani classical music in kirtan, pragmatizing the essence of Gurbani which instructs to achieve self-control by making ‘mind’ the instrument for praise of the divine:
ਬਾਜੇ ਪਰਮ ਤਾਰ ਤਤੁ ਹਰਿ ਕੋ ਉਪਜੈ ਰਾਗ ਰਸਾਰੰ
Play the strings of your lyre (mind) to obtain the Supreme God through melodious devotion.
ਉਘਟੈ ਤਾਨ ਤਰੰਗ ਰੰਗਿ ਅਤਿ ਗਿਆਨ ਗੀਤ ਬੰਧਾਨੰ
Through this melody, let the renditions of love arise, bound in the beats of wisdom.
The love and care showered by Satguru Ji for the advancement of classical music is exemplary. He ‘institutionalized’ music in the lifestyle of Namdhari Sikhs and other God-seeking devotees. The stalwarts and maestros of Indian classical music felt honored to pay their obeisance to the unique affection of Satguru ji for music. Satguru Ji helped the struggling classical musicians through love, care and other forms of monetary and non-monetary aids. An embodiment of the popular Hindi proverb, ‘Only a jeweller knows it’s true worth’, Satguru Ji always gave first preference to the dissemination of classical music. He taught the importance of music by making it an intricate part of his own lifestyle. Even during the most busy days, he would take out due time for singing and listening. He introduced the concept of ¼ and ¾ beats, new style of Dilruba playing through fingernails. Due to the encouragement given by him, Namdhari Sikhs have developed a liking and respect for this divine artform.
The path shown by Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji is now being traversed by Satguru Uday Singh Ji. Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji always appreciated the positive orientation and analysis of Satguru Uday Singh Ji. He now supervises one of the fewest manifestations of Indian civilizational values in the form of head of Namdhari community.
In order to address the various issues, especially the instabilities and anxieties of the youth, it is essential to re-introduce the spirit of spirituality and classical music in them. To deal with different contemporary issues and to maintain the social fabric and harmony of the country, it is necessary to seek recourse in the divine, classical music of India, for which, the great maestro Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali khan once remarked, ‘had at least one child from every family were taught Classical music, India would not have been partitioned’.
Satguru Ji is the harbinger of this civilizational ethos of the country, which holds great potential in steering the youth towards the righteous path. He is illuminating the path for the next generations as well as the present ones.
