June kicked off with us arriving from Dallas, USA through a two day stay in London, five days in my beloved Malaysia, to Adelaide on 8th.June. I have forgotten what winter is like in Adelaide as I have been in the northern hemisphere when it is winter here for the last five years! Yes, I can confirm - it is miserable, cold, wet, dark - you get the picture! The good part is that one does not feel like going out so one can do a great deal of work indoors, relax and turn ones attention towards Naam Simran.

As there are no group performances this month, I shall use this month for commentary on a number of issues which cropped up in May but could not be written due to being such a full itinerary.

1. My 'clean-shaven' (sehaj-dhari) Sikh friends worldwide - the 'HAIR' issue.

A very, v-e-r-y close Sikh friend from USA took offence at my inference in April (Diaries) on my mention in the episode of my childhood friend Tari, about the relevance of 'hair' for Sikhs. He/she wrote back that he/she knows of 'full-fledged' Sikhs who are in fact a nuisance and a hinderance in the progress of his/her Sikh community (reminds me of Pp Singh in St. Louise!). That generally they are hypocrites and stumbling blocks etc. etc. AND that 'hair' is not really a pre-requisite for spiritual growth as a Sikh - one can be a 'sehajdhari'.

He/she referred to the Sikh 'Taliban' - generally unemployed or factory-working youths and adults who have found a sense of belonging to groups like the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, the outlawed Sikh Students Federation etc. - which aims to 'take over' gurdwaras for their own ulterior not-very-noble motives like getting more of their ilk into western countries through the use of the gurdwaras, and also behaving like hooligans when their way is obstructed by others. The 'gundageri' which goes on in some major gurdwaras especially during elections is open knowledge, I do not have to go into that...committees involved in illegal immigration etc. etc.

Yes, I know of many such 'full-fledged' Sikhs, and, on the other hand, also of some great 'sehajdhari' luminaries such as Dr. Harbans Lal of Dallas, Texas, USA.

First, let me point out, that some of my very good 'Sikh' friends are, without unshorn hair (in fact, some are completely bald!) Some have (and are) playing a very important role of support for the work I am trying to do.

All this does not detract from the importance of uncut hair in Sikhism especially if you represent Sikhs and/or Sikhism. The outward appearance, nevertheless, must be a reflection of the inner nature. Without one OR the other, in Sikhism, you are, incomplete. Which way you are incomplete or how much, depends on the individual - one is able to 'know' by just getting in touch with ones own 'inner self'. The word 'sehajdhari' to me means 'slowly getting there' - how slow, or even a lifetime slow, is entirely dependent upon the individual and I have no beef with that. That can never be held against you by anyone else because we, as human beings are all incomplete in one way or another.

In the case of my late friend Abtar(Tari) of Trinidad, the subject came up because he told me that he sometimes 'represented' Sikhs and I felt (and feel) that if one is 'representing' Sikhs then the 'formal outward image' of a Sikh is important unless one clearly specifies that one is 'not' representing Sikhs but 'sehajdhari Sikhs' as my good friend Dr.Harbans Lal sometimes does, when turbanned bearded Sikhs are not present at major formal international interfaith dialogue meetings/conventions.

2. 'Seropas' and 'fees' from Sikh sangats

This is another interesting issue which confronts me on tour and came up again in San Francisco. The 'norm' for a professional 'ragi/kirtan jatha' is that one does not ever ask for a 'fee' for services rendered doing kirtan especially at a gurdwara. Such a 'jatha' must seek sustenance from the 'chedava' (offerings) of the sangat and a formal 'seropa' from the gurdwara committee.
'Chedava' is that money that some members of the sangat put in front of the minstrels as an offering. 'Seropa' means the gurdwara committee puts a saffron turban cloth (about two feet wide and about four feet long) around the minstrels' necks and MAY also make a token offering, normally currency in the denominations of 21, 51, 101, 201 etc. Twenty one is common and if lucky one can even get offered 201!!

So, such services must be selflessly rendered and blessings of the sangat and especially gurdwara committee, received. The 'seropa' represents the sangat's and the Guru Ji's protection from 'head to foot'. Some will cite the case of Satta and Balwand, minstrels of the 'darbar' of Guru Arjan Dev who demanded more money and refused to do kirtan and Guru Ji asked sangat members to do kirtan. Finally the miscreants had to beg forgiveness to come back and do kirtan in Guru Ji's court. Guru Arjan Dev Ji even included some of their 'bani' in the SGGS.

Such a method of payment for services is haphazard and arbitrary. Committees are almost always short of monies so they try to pay as little as possible. I remember a program at a very affluent private group of Sikhs who get together for a program once a week at a hired hall close to Washington DC a few years ago. We were asked to do kirtan and it seemd rather absurd that this rich group of fairly influential Sikhs would offer us US$21 - that too in check form for performing kirtan!

I remember at a program, also close to Washington DC, in Virginia I think, an elderly fairly affluent looking gentleman asked quite loudly, (so that others could hear), as to what our 'charge' was, to do kirtan. I replied that we do not have a fixed charge as such. He said he was pleased to hear that, as 'Jagatherivala' demanded so much and so-and-so even more etc. That it was sacrilege these ragis charging such exorbitant amounts! I cut in immediately and told him that he should hear me out fully! I said I would be a fool to stipulate a fixed price as I would do it for free for someone who could not afford to pay but I would be a fool to restrict myself to say 2000 dollars if the host was very affluent and could afford to pay 10,000!! Ragis, like all other human beings do have bills to pay too, and have a right to have an affluent life-style too.

If a four-yard piece of cloth could cover one from head to foot and look after ones affairs, then I would happily put a 'seropa' around the nose of a United Airlines aeroplane and even one around the necks of their pilots if they would allow us five group members to travel free, or at the price of US$21 around the globe doing this 'sewa'!

I have heard whispers from committee members and condemnations from learned looking Sikhs, like the one in Virginia, that charging a fee for kirtan is sacrilege. But when told that they need not pay fees, just pay one air ticket for one of us from Adelaide to USA or UK, they, even then, do not seem to understand that we, as a musical group, too have to pay our expenses and raise families like everyone else.

I have also heard 'sewadhars' boast that they make cd's and vcd's of gurdwara kirtan and distribute them free! They feel a sense of tremendous achievement and 'sewa' doing this. Let me assure them that 'anything' given free to someone who can afford to pay, is never appreciated! Yes, if someone 'cannot afford' it, then it is appreciated. I have seen freely distributed cd's and cassettes of gurbani thrown into bins!! Only recently, last month in fact, I was in UK when there was a report and pictures of 'gutkay' which had been distributed free, found in bins.

3. Singing shabads only in prescribed raags - normally an area in which I am quite often picked on and have to defend!

We were in Dallas last month and the topic of singing shabads in the prescribed raags came up ... once again!! A certain 'professor' in raags had brought his jatha to do kirtan there and he, of course, sings only in raags. He exhorted the sangat and the gurdwara committee to 'enforce' that only 'ragis' who can do kirtan in raags should be allowed to do kirtan in the gurdwara! Luckily sanity prevailed and no such 'hukmnama' was issued by the sangat/committee. My views were sought because the issue is still being debated. There are some who would like to bring in such an edict.

The richness of kirtan is a pride of Sikhism. One Hindu friend once commented that 'kirtan' is prolific within Sikhism. It is another great gift within Sikhism rivalling Sikh valour; Sikh hard work; the institution of 'langgar' (which does not exist as an institution in any other faith); Sikh generosity; Sikh hospitality; etc. I have seen/heard sangats transported on a wave of soul uplifting village folk melodies supporting shabads, straight 'dharna's sung by simple 'sants' and melodious 'Waheguru' simran as the spirit dictates.

In fact, personally I find the attempt of some 'ragis' presenting shabads in appropriate 'raags' rather pretentious, self-centred and self-conscious - in short, not very spiritually uplifting.

Also, I look upon Sikhism not as a series of 'thou shalt not's' but rather as 'thou shalts'. For example, 'Thou shalt enjoy living this life to its fullest' which means making life meaningful and optimising life. Anything restrictive should be looked upon with suspicion and debated before adoption - 'sikhi, sikhiya, Gur vichaar'! So why try to restrict the singing of shabads?

No doubt, most of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is prescribed in raags - namely 31 categories of raags. But there are also folk melodies used quite liberally - dhunias, alahinya's etc. In fact some of the raags have been derived from folk melodies - Raag Majh springs to mind. Is this not an indication that a presenter can be creative and that the criteria is that music as a vehicle for the 'shabad' must be chosen with care and as a means to create an atmosphere of tranquility and upliftment?

Furthermore, singing shabads in appropriate raags also creates some problems. i. So Anand Sahib cannot be sung at all times because it is written in Raag Ramkali which must be sung, I think, early in the morning. ii. So no more 'paath' or Akhand Paath' can be done as the shabads of the SGGS must be presented in their appropriate raags. iii. So no shabad written in a morning raag can be sung in the evening and vice versa - rather restrictive don't you think?

I am sure, the learned professor will have 'answers' for all these 'problems created' but that only means that he is prepared to use his intellect to skirt these problems just as anyone can use his or her intellect to use other modes of music besides raag as long as the criteria of creating a tranquil atmosphere to digest the shabad is met, through whatever mode of music being used. I believe this debate is a non-issue and can only lead to restrictions and strangulation of kirtan - kirtan, as we have become used to.

I do have an adverse opinion on the use of modern, latest bollywood film release melodies being used as the vehicle of shabads. The criteria of music in presenting shabads should be that the 'spiritual meaning' of the shabad becomes clearer and the listener is transported by the shabad, not the music. If the presenter 'apes' the latest Bollywood release melodies for shabads, then the presenter is only looking for 'balay balay's'; listeners' minds dwell not on the shabad but the antics of the actors in the movie and ones mind moves even further from Waheguru. The purpose of kirtan is then destroyed. I have heard ragis and amateurs 'destroy' the shabad to fit the melody of latest release Hindi melodies. I think that, is sacrilege.

June 27 - I left for Malaysia for the Malaysian Airlines Sikh Staff 25th. Anniversary Akhand Path and Jordhmela and also to meet up with my good friend Bicky Singh of sikhpoint.com. More in next month's instalment. Dya Singh

Dya Singh