|
Bhalo Bhalo Re
Kirtaniya
Bhai Didar Singh, a self-less and highly accomplished Sikh musician
who never got his due
Harjap Singh
Aujla
 Bhai Didar Singh
was a totally selfless (faqir) Kirtania, who devoted his entire life
to the singing of the Guru’s Hymns in the finest classical
traditions without seeking any monitory rewards. He lived in poverty
and died in poverty, without ever complaining about his plight. Most
of the modern day Sikhs have forgotten him completely, but his merit
as a maestro and his extreme simplicity deserves that his story, as
I understand it, must be told
During the
sixties my father late S. Sochet Singh once attended a post Akhand
Path Kirtan programme in rural Hoshiarpur. He was a true connoisseur
of “Gurmat Sangeet” and was thoroughly impressed with the sweet
versatile voice of a blind black bearded young musician named Bhai
Didar Singh. After that cursory reference, I did not hear about this
maestro. He was never heard of in a “Kirtan Darbar”, or at any
private religious function. To me his name and faint memory remained
dormant in a remote corner of my brain for years to come
Around 1983
someone in Vancouver gave me a tape with handwritten title Bhai
Didar Singh Raagi on its cover. On hearing an enchanting unheard of
voice, the old memories of my father’s words sprouted up again. I
once again recollected my father’s words of the late sixties. The
longest duration Shabad in the tape was entitled “Aappe bauh bidh
rangla, sakhiye mera laal”. It turned out to be a very
professionally rendered “Shabad” in difficult to peform “Guldasta”
format and it simply mesmerized me. I listened to this tape again
and again and was never tired of it. I made a spare copy of this
tape to guard against any damage to the original tape.
A few months
later I met Giani Gurdip Singh ji, the then Head Priest of Gurdwara
Richmond Hill New York. This gurdwara was a de-facto place of
pilgrimage for all the Sikhs living North of Washington D.C. on the
Eastern seaboard of
America.
I made a casual mention of this newly obtained tape to Giani Gurdip
Singh ji. His eyes lit up. He was very knowledgeable and he had
already heard this tape. He told me that Darshan Singh Komal had
three highly accomplished “Shagirds” (pupils). Out of them Bhai
Dharam Singh Zakhmi was very comfortable in lower musical notes,
Bhai Beant Singh Bijli is more comfortable in higher notes, but Bhai
Didar Singh is so versatile, he moves at ease like a fish between
the highest and the lowest notes and does full justice to the
intricacies of “Raaga”.
Bhai Gurdip
Singh further said Bhai Didar Singh’s voice is something similar to
that of K.L. Saigal and Bade Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan. A few months
later I talked to Rabinder Singh Bhamra, the scholarly Vice
President of Gurdwara Richmond Hill New York, he told me that their
Gurdwara management has sponsored Bhai Didar Singh’s Jatha’s visit
to New York for the second half of 1984. Bhai Didar Singh at the
head of a four man Raagi Jatha came in October 1984. Sardar Tejinder
Singh Kahlon, the long time president of that gurdwara told me that
Bhai Didar Singh will stay in Gurdwara Richmond Hill New York for
one and a half months and after that I could take his Raagi Jatha to
Gurdwara Bridgewater New Jersey. I was thrilled to hear about the
offer and on the appointed day I drove this Jatha to Gurdwara
Bridgewater sometime in December of 1985.
|
Being blind,
Bhai Didar Singh had a lot of handicap, and he memorised phenomenal
amount of Gurbani before attaining the age of ten. By age twelve, he
could recite more than eight hundred Shabads. Roughly at the age of
ten, he was initiated into classical music and by the age of fifteen
he had become adept in rendition of close to eighty “Raagas” and
“Raaginis”. |
|
Gurdwara
Richmond Hill New York is approximately eighty miles away from
Gurdwara Bridgewater New Jersey and it was a good two hours plus
journey. I had several questions to ask and Bhai Didar Singh had the
answers. I seated him on the front seat and his three companions
Ajit Singh, Sarbjit Singh and Sukhdev Singh were seated on the rear
seats. I started the curious conversation by asking about his
initiation into classical music or “Gurmat Sangeet”. Bhai Didar
Singh told me that he being blind had a lot of handicap, a blind man
cannot read or write, so he was made to cram up as much “Gurbani” as
possible before attaining the age of ten. By age twelve he had
crammed up more than eight hundred “Shabads”. These “Shabads” he
still remembers and sings. Roughly at the age of ten, he was
initiated into classical music and by the age of fifteen he had
become adept in rendition of close to eighty “Raagas” and
“Raaginis”.
Bhai Didar Singh
told me that learning a “Raaga” is the easy part, its repeated
“Riyaz” and sticking to its true character like discrete application
of “Komal” and “Teevar” “Surs” is the most difficult part of its
rendition. He told me that he had been doing “Riyaz” for several
hours everyday till the age of twenty five, after that “hours of
“Riyaz” were curtailed and daily “Kirtan” in different “Raagas”
became a substitute for longer hours of “Riyaz”, but still some
“Riyaz” is necessary. Bhai Didar Singh told me that he can
proficiently play most of the “Taals” on “Tabla”. In addition, he
was groomed to play two string instruments “Sarangi” and Violin.
His “Ustad”
Professor Darshan Singh Komal trained him as a versatile musician.
Professor Darshan Singh Komal taught him to play a difficult string
instrument “Sarangi” with ease. According to his tutor “Sarangi” was
an instrument which could come to his rescue during the worst of
times. After imparting adequate knowledge in singing and instrument
playing, his “Ustad” established him (Didar Singh) as the lead
singer and he himself became his “Saathi” on “Tabla”.
Bhai Didar Singh
lamented that since the nineteen sixties, the appreciation and
respect for real good musicians has been declining steadily. Those
with virtually no training and having uncultured voices, but
possessing good managerial skills, are in great demand. The
genuinely good musicians are always seen struggling and the not so
good ones are flourishing. At one extremely bad time in his life,
the “Sarangi” indeed came to his rescue. When no one wanted to
listen to classical music, he improvised a “Dhadi Jatha”. He himself
became the “Sarangi” player and two of his students became “Dhadi
Singers”. This hurriedly assembled rag-tag “Dhadi Jatha” became very
popular, in rural Punjab, within a very short duration of time and
this switch over earned a lot more money that he could not earn as a
professionally trained “Kirtania”. He told me that he has brought a
“Sarangi” for this tour also. He confided to me that there may be
some places in America, where proper classical “Kirtan” may not find
acceptance.
|
Bhai Didar Singh
lamented that since the nineteen sixties, the appreciation and
respect for real good musicians has been declining steadily. Those
with virtually no training and having uncultured voices, but
possessing good managerial skills, are in great demand. The
genuinely good musicians are always seen struggling and the not so
good ones are flourishing. |
|
At such places
“Sarangi” will come to his rescue. He told me that his new
companions on current tour Sarbjit Singh and Sukhdev Singh have been
trained as “Dhadis” and they can make good money. I asked him as to
why his voice has never been heard on the airwaves of All India
Radio. He told me that no body from the radio station ever
approached him and the idea of going uninvited to the radio station
did not occur to him. But he said some of the folks who took lessons
in music from him are now radio artists. Later on I did hear his
voice from All India Radio Jalandhar. In an answer to another
question, Bhai Didar Singh said that he has been invited every year
to perform “Shabad Gayan” at the famous “Guru Ram Dass Birth
Anniversary Kirtan Darbar” at “Gurdwara Manji Sahib” located within
the Golden Temple complex, but his “Shabad Kirtan” has never been
broadcast from the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple. He said
that some genuine lovers of music in Punjab have really given him a
lot of respect and he is thankful to them.
Bhai Didar Singh
was all praise for Late Bhai Samund Singh ji. According to him Bhai
Samund Singh was the only “Kirtania” who will render all the
“Shabads” in a “Chowki” in pure classical formats, everybody else
renders the first “Shabad” in a classical “Raaga” and then switches
to semi-classical or light “Reets”. Bhai Didar Singh lived most of
his life in village Nangal Khurd in Hoshiarpur District. On the
death of his illustrious “Ustad” Darshan Singh Komal, Bhai Didar
Singh became the successor of his legacy. Bhai Didar Singh continued
to teach “Shabad Kirtan” to the prospecting “Raagis”. Occasionally
he visited foreign lands too. In reply to another question, Bhai
Didar Singh said that he has a lot of admiration for the Rababi
Kirtanias and they have certain advantages too. Being musicians by
profession, their kids are introduced to “Pakka Raag” at very young
ages. This grooming at an early age gives them a lifelong
advantage.
We did not know
how two hours went by and how we reached the parking area of
Gurdwara Bridgewater. We were not sure of the “Sangat’s” response to
his voice and art. But contrary to our fears, the weekly Friday and
Sunday congregations at Gurdwara Bridgewater thoroughly appreciated
his “Kirtan Kala” and he was not compelled to use his “Sarangi” as a
“Dhadi” during any of the “Diwans”.
Bhai Pargat
Singh, a long time resident of
New York,
is himself a very well trained classical musician. Bhai Pargat Singh
learnt proper classical music from a highly accomplished classical
maestro Master Rattan of Phagwara. He is also a great connoisseur of
all kinds of classical music. Bhai Didar Singh was one of his most
favourite “Kirtanias”. I invited Bhai Pargat Singh to an evening
“Kirtan Darbar” at Gurdwara Bridgewater. He was asked to bring his
string instrument “Taanpura” too. He came with his musician family.
Together they performed very melodious “Kirtan”. After that he
accompanied Bhai Didar Singh also as a side musician and he was
accompanied by his “Taanpura”. This performance came out to be a
historic event. I am glad I have been able to preserve its
transcript.
During a month
long stay at Gurdwara Bridgewater, Bhai Didar Singh invariably
performed the first “Shabad” in pure “Khayali” classical format and
the subsequent “Shabads” were rendered in “Reets” based on classical
“Raagas”. I personally made a number of recordings of his
renditions. But before we could schedule his repeat visit in 1989,
he was already no more. He was diabetic and no one in India got his
heart checked up like we do in
America.
He died before attaining the age of sixty. He is not physically with
us but his voice has been preserved for the unborn Sikh posterity.
Bhai Didar Singh was a masterly Sikh religious musician, who never
got his due.
14
October 2009
|
Read Also
