The Malkiats, Rabbis and the Bindrakhiyas notwithstanding- Sikhs now have rolled out their own rock-n-roll star who doesn't go about beating his drum. Who, Who? Meet twenty year old Hargobind Hari Singh Khalsa alias Hargo, a Western Sikh, from La Jolla who has rocked the San Diego scene with his music that he terms as alternative-pop. What is it, I ask him as he plays a tune or two, to which he replies "that his music is inspired from rock-n-roll, grunge and folk." Isn't that complicating matters? The music, says Hargo, "carries influences from the Beatles, Coldplay, R.E.M, Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan and Nirvana but the strongest sway is towards John Lennon of the Beatles."How true-for his song "I'm crying for John Lennon-And for this world I see-I'm crying for John Lennon-For we've forgotten peace" in his maiden CD 'In your eyes' can get a tear to a Beatle buff.

The song i can tell you had invited a lot of Buzz on Lennon memorial day on 8th December 2005 as Hargo had spent the day getting interviewed by Mark Elsis, author of the 'John Lennon Day for Peace and Love on Earth Petition. Hargo the same day was interviewed where he performed on the Stacy Taylor Show on KLSD Radio in San Diego, hosted a pre-recorded show for An ABC Radio Special - John Lennon-The Life The Legacy, besides performing live for Lennon lovers at a Happy hour show at Dicks Last resort, San Diego itself.

So any thing more on this lad? Guys can you be patient! Son of Gurshabad Singh Khalsa and Sarb Shakti Kaur who adopted Sikhism as a way of life in the early seventies after they came in contact with the late Harbhajan Singh Yogi, Hargo's earliest song has been on Guru Nanak, when Hargo was barely nine.

Some yogis came and asked the Guru
Which direction did he bow.
Nanak said, I bow in all directions
For god is everywhere.
Nanak sang...

There is one infinite creator
There is one infinite truth
There is one infinite maker
And all things come from God.

Nanak lived a life of spreading
God's sweet name everywhere.
Nanak means, you can never say no
Never say no to anything.
Nanak sang...

There is one infinite creator
There is one infinite truth
There is one infinite maker
And all things come from God

Nanak saw some people
Throwing water towards the sun.
The people said, they were throwing water
To their ancestors in the Heavens.
Nanak sang...

There is one infinite creator
There is one infinite truth
There is one infinite maker
And all things come from God.

(c)1996 Hargobind Hari S. Khalsa

You meet Hargo, and his deep eyes, manifest his thoughts. Compassion, love and peace is what he is all about. How true for his song 'Painted Red' is just that. And as I had sipped tea with the Khalsa family at their residence a young Indian looking girl of about eight years had walked into the house. She had hugged everybody suggesting she was a regular.Gurshabad Singh while introducing the child narrated a tragic story about her life. Simran had suddenly lost her father, Nitin (2004) while on a trip to Panama. As things were to happen, Hargo overwhelmed by the grieving family had composed a song 'Painted Red' that is part of his CD. "I was just so touched by the whole experience that the song just flowed naturally", said Hargo, joining the conversation."Nitin who owned an Indian restaurant was my father's close buddy. They were golfing buddies and we used to be eating at their restaurant every second day. Nitin's father devastated by the blow had kept repeating that the light in his family had gone. The experience was so powerful that Hargo just picked up his father's guitar and the song had just flowed." In fact all thirteen songs in his commercial Compact Disc are inspired from meaningful instances in life. And for the ones who care for statistics- Hargo has never had the need to scribble a song twice. Once he gets a tune on his acoustic guitar, lyrics are a cake-walk.

Gimme More- OK, here you go and some of you don't feel belittled. As opposed to the neo-generation of eastern Sikhs (hailing from Punjab) this young lad Hargo has been to India to study his adopted religion. He shuns alcohol, is a strict vegetarian. In 1998 Hargo paid his first visit to India with his grandmother. On landing at Delhi he had felt proud to be in the land of Guru Gobind Singh, the founder of the Khalsa. After visiting the Golden Temple and spending five weeks at the Punjabi University, Patiala, learning Punjabi, Hargo had returned with a strong bonding. "Patiala is the coolest place I've been to", he remarks.

The pristine guitarist and musician that he is, Hargo has opened a concert for the Grammy award winner Seal, in New Mexico in front of a 7000 audience. He has featured along with Kate Pierson of the B-52 music group and has reviews pegging him on the lines of chart-bursting performers like Coldplay, Oasis and the Beatles. He also performed at the Sikh Heritage Festival at Orange County in December. His six member band that includes Hargo on the guitar and lead vocals, Jessie Charnow who has toured with Ravi Shankar and Ike Turner, on the Drums, Julie Kaufman as the female back-up vocal,Beezie Gerber at the Lead Guitar, Nico Ananias the Bass Guitarist and Steve Sibley on the Keyboards already have a hectic schedule lined up this year. The significant upcoming performances in 2006 are the Spinning Wheel Festivals in Toronto and England in Feb April 2006, respectively and European Yoga Fest, on July 28, 2006 at Loches, France.

Ok...satisfied or eager to learn more. Simply log on to www. Hargo.net to buy his CD and get off my back.

This is part of an interview from a forthcoming book 'Sikhs Unlimited' by this author. The book is based on the lives of unique Sikhs in USA and England.