Is the message of Gurbani lost if Hindi tunes are used?

The short answer is "Yes".

But let us not throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater. I have a simple message for our youngsters and Raagi's on this issue. If, after the rendition, the sangat, or listener, remembers which movie, which star and which scene the music is from, then you have done a terrible disservice to the sanctity of 'gurbani'. But, if the listener remembers the shabad, then, well done!

For example, I sing 'Avoh Sikh Satgur ke pyareo...' to 'O dunia ke rakhvaale'. Normally the whole sangat sings along and I do believe the message is delivered and not diluted in any way. This is perhaps because the melody is about fifty years old and based on raag Darbari Kanada - what my revered Bapu Ji used to call a bandish, a melody based on raag.

I think the simple criterion is - do not use modern Hindi film song music! Old Hindi film songs were based on raags - take Baiju Bavra and more recently Sursangam, to name two Hindi movies. They had classical melodies and also, believe it or not, some plagiarisation from our Darbar Sahib (Harmandir Sahib) itself.

The great Bombay (Mumbai) film music director of the fifties, Naushad, in an interview in the Eighties, admitted that most of his inspiration came from visits to Darbar Sahib!! So, which came first, the chicken or the egg? One reputed Raagi friend of mine from Singapore commented that music directors like Naushad did greater service to Raag Assa than any of our raagis!

On a lighter note, let me narrate an amusing episode from Malaysia. Through the auspices of the Sikh Naujawan Sabha, Malaysia, I have the honor of doing an annual, two monthly yatra throughout Malaysia talking at mini Youth Camps and also doing keertan prachaar. One of the topics is, of course, the use of Hindi film music for shabads. Before we do our program I always like the local youth to perform keertan.

About five years ago, when we first started this 'Yatra', I was amazed to hear the same shabad- 'Ramaiya, hau baarek tera' town after town to the same modern Hindi tune - something to do with 'Churalia...' I chided the youngsters for lack of originality or tradition. (It is with pleasure that I report that the keertan has since improved with interpretations of shabads being offered by the youth in Punjabi, Malay and English!) Anyway, in one such program, while I was thus talking on the merits of learning the shudh raags and not using modern Hindi melodies, one parent reported to me after the program that his eight-year-old son leaned over to him and whispered "Dad, when Dya Singh does keertan, Kuch Kuch hota Hai!"

Sangeet (music) is a vehicle to deliver the message or the shabad (hymn). Our Guru Sahiban used not only raags but also popular folk music in the form of ghodian, alahniyian and thunies to deliver the message. Raag Majh, for example, is a raag developed from a form of folk music from the Majha district of Panjab. Raag Tilang is the basis of Qawali singing. Guru Gobind Singh Ji is reputed to have used over two hundred and fifty forms of music in his gurbani. In fact, I am told that he even used a feringhi taal. Now, feringhi, as we all know means the 'white man'!

Let us, first of all, not stifle the creativity of younger generations. Yet, certain criteria must be observed. As the writer of the original article has said - "the message must not be lost" and we must promote the use of the original musical vehicle used, if stipulated. If a shabad is written in a particular 'raag' or other mode of music, then that must be encouraged, as that is the way Guru Sahiban intended it to be sung and heard.

I was accosted by a gentleman in a Youth Camp in New York a few years ago, indignant that I was liberalising keertan by saying that we must not stifle the creativity of our younger generations. He felt strongly that all keertan should be done in raag. I asked him what raag should we sing Deh Shiva in. In the raag that it was written in, of course, he said firmly! I informed him that Deh Shiva, like many, many other shabads does not specify a raag. I think he did not believe me!

We get used to a certain 'form' of music, which we then find comfortable to our ears. We feel that is all we want to listen to. Gurbani only sounds right and the message delivered if raags, or the original styles of music, are used. Talk to our revered older generation and remember the maxim "Aah, the good old days!" They will lament that the raagis of old do not exist any more - and they are right. New Raagis have moved in. Some are good, and many are O.K. Raagi's like to become popular and one vehicle is the use of Bollywood music. I am a strong advocate against the use of Bollywood music but let creativity flourish - listen to the keertan of our American (white) Sikh brothers and sisters sometimes!!

The writer of the original article had briefly mentioned our (Dya Singh Australian World Music Group) attempts at delivering the message, which he appears to like but feels that it does not deliver.

Yes, we are using a blend of traditional and contemporary music as also reflected by the multi-racial mix of our group members. Some Sikhs do not like it but many appear to appreciate it - hence our appeal to the younger generation and also non-Sikhs worldwide. We try to do as much research on the musical vehicle as we can. We are strong advocates of raag but we are also strong advocates of originality and also 'popularity' - so that the younger generation will respond to our efforts and fall in love with Gurbani, our Guru Ji.

Ultimately, the effort is to ensure that the 'message' of Gurbani is delivered and the associated deep sense of spirituality is not eroded.

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