After the flurry of 'Smithsonian to Royal Albert Hall' over the last three months, it was great to be 'home' again!

Nevertheless, no rest for the wicked as they say 'Hau murakh karay laiya'!

Concert back home in Adelaide at the Nexus Cabaret on Saturday October2 - three days after arriving from London! It was great to have all group members on stage - Quentin, Andrew, Keith, Dheeraj, Harsel, Parvyn and I. Seven all told. Especially darling daughter Harsel who had missed the Smithsonian to Royal Albert Hall tour. She is in third year of university for her Bachelors' degree in International Business.

I came down with a heavy cold and cough as soon as I landed but recovered sufficiently and pumped up with pain killers, we performed a two hour concert to a small but appreciative audience. Once again, the Sikhs in Adelaide, had other things on their mind. There was a 21st. birthday party.

So a paying Dya Singh 'mystical concert' was no match for a 21st. Birthday bash with free booze, food and dance!

One Sikh gentleman did turn up though with his two young children. I asked him why he was not at the party too? I was very pleased to hear that he felt that it was more important to come to a 'Dya Singh concert' which would be more educational and meaningful for his kids than a 21st. birthday bash. Anyway, he said that a 'Dya Singh concert'had become a rarity in Adelaide. Twenty-first birthday parties will come and go. Good to know that there are those Sikhs who think that a programme of ours is of some value to them and espcially their children! Nevertheless, a small but enthusiastic Adelaide non-Sikh audience had a great time. I am sure the Adelaide Sikhs will catch up with me at the Gurdwara Sahib!

Accolades from our performance at the Royal Albert Hall are coming in thick and fast. I am grateful to all who are writing nice things about us and our work (we take flak often enough!). We hope to open a new page on our website at sikhpoint.com to save all these emails on an ongoing basis.

Oct.3^rd - Sunday in Adelaide - I paid my respects at our gurdwara. It is to be demolished after 16/17 years of service. The sangat is soon moving to new premises - a heritage listed former Conference and Reception centre at the entrance to Adelaide on the highway from Melbourne. Great place to put up a Nishaan Sahib! Dheeraj was still in town so we were able to do 'hajri' at our local gurdwara with half an hour of kirtan supported by Dr. Harbans Singh Gill and S. Charan Singh Ji - much appreciated by the sangat.

It is warming to note the increase of Sikh students in Adelaide. Hopefully

we can provide cheap accommodation for Sikh students at our new 'Sikh Centre' and also get them to look after the place and do general caretaking duties.

Tuesday - 5^th. Into Quentin Eyers studio with all group members to record 'Aadh Granth Medley' for posterity.All group members happen to be in town, so, why not? I felt it is a good piece to record as it is something new from us with Parvyn and other group members singing in English while Harsel,Parvyn and I sing the shabads.

Thursday - drove to Melbourne for a program on Sunday. Millenium Concert at the Melbourne Arts Centre under the auspices of the Melbourne Arts Festival. Twenty groups taking part. We have been paid well, including all travel expenses from Adelaide, to do a six minute piece!!!

Friday 7^th. SRI SINGH SAHIB YOGI HARBHAJAN SINGH JI passes away yesterday.

Sad news received today. I liked him very much. One Sikh who I held in awe and high esteem because he was a no-nonsense sort of pioneer who took Sikhi to the west. His name will be remembered in the history of Sikhi. I shall miss him. He liked my approach to kirtan (gurbani sangeet) and encouraged my kirtan classes in Espanola, New Mexico. I have only good things to say about

'Yogi Ji' - I know there are others who will disagree... there always are!

Sunday 10^th. Millenium 'Voices' Concert (Melbourne Arts Festival). We had '6 MINUTES' in a twenty groups/choirs concert of 3 hours attended by 2000 at the Melbourne Arts Centre Hamer Auditorium. There were groups/choirs from the Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea and even one from Malaysia and of course Australian choirs and groups. It was an honour being part of this great event. The 350 strong Millenium Choir sang 'Satnaam' with us as background as we presented a piece called 'If you do not see God in all, you do not see God at all' (Sarab Niranjan Deetha). We were billed as the 'foremost Australian multicultural musical ensemble headed by a Sikh'. I think we did Sikhi proud! (Anyone wanting a copy of the 6 minute piece can send us a small donation for expenses and I will be happy to send you a 'live' cd!)

AND a special note to the Network of Sikh Organisations of UK who organised the 400 Anniversary of the Adh Granth two Sundays ago at the Royal Albert Hall in UK in which we were kindly invited by them to take part too.

This is merely to say that 'we' (Sikhs)have tremendous abilities to pull off major programs but we always appear to be lacking when it comes to 'running/organising' them. In fact, quite often we hear the question - Is this program 'desi' organised or 'western organised'? 'Desi' organised means that one should expect shambles in the duration of the program and expect it to be delayed by up to an hour or even two! And 'western' organised? Let me describe the concert we were part of in Melbourne.

The concert we were part of today within the Melbourne Arts Festival had twenty groups/choirs taking part within a three hour period including a twenty minute interval. First it started on time; twenty 'acts' means twenty changeovers - each changeover including resetting of microphones, and changing of stage props would have taken at most ... three minutes. (And that is not an exaggeration) The whole program ran over by about three minutes and that was because the audience was interested in joining in on the last number which had practically all artistes on stage. There were no hitches of any kind. No artiste went over time (because future invitations depend upon them not taking extra time) which means no artises were asked to cut back on their presentation! And of course no long booooorrrrrring speeches!

Our satisfaction was the fact that almost everyone who met us afterwards complained that we should have been given more time and the organisers of this prestigious event promising to include us in future high profile programs and also considering a full length 'concert' of our own. It is part of the process of becoming better recognised and known for our abilities - but that means leaving the 'desi' part of us behind!

A quirky email today condemning me because I have been telling youngsters that they should 'not' greet each other with the full fateh. No idea how some people get such ideas about me - anyway... Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh! Hope he/she gets the hint...

Back to Adelaide by Friday to play 'panelist' for our manager Keith in his conference of the Australian Folk Alliance. I was on a panel talking and fielding questions about problems, issues, etc. of overseas touring by Australian artistes. It was quite an honour really being on the panel with four other internationally acclaimed musicians from Australia.

Sunday 17^th. October. Last 'service' at our gurdwara in Adelaide. This building is to be demolished making way for nine houses which have already been pre-sold. We expect to move into new premises in about a year and meanwhile move to a temporary hall. One of the largest 'sangats' I have seen here! Harsel, Quentin and I, with S. Charan Singh on tabla and Dr. Harbans Gill on vaja did kirtan for about 45 minutes. It was a very touching service and we did a special prayer (Ardaas) as our Nishan Sahib came down for the last time. ...that too has come to pass... This building has served us well and may Waheguru be benevolent with our community into the future blessing us with harmony and Cherdhi Kala.

I was able to spend 'family' time until the last weekend in October. great to be with my grandchildren - Saahiel four and Saffal - two. It is great as duty as Nana Ji is to spoil them and also fight against the onslought of westernisation by trying to speak to them in Panjabi and teach them gurbani and 'painti'! They do listen to our cd's every day and appear to enjoy them! Saffal is showing keen interest in percussion like his father.

Parklea Gurdwara Sahib of Sydney saw it appropriate to fly us to Sydney for three major dewan programs and two Asa-Dhi-Vaar's on the last weekend of October. Sangat turned up in great numbers and I think we all benefited, especially youth. We did a special program for youth at the Revesby Gurdwara Sahib, Sydney on the Sunday night.

It has been a good month at home and appreciative sangats in Adelaide and Sydney. More next month on our two week tour of Singapore and Malaysia. We have been invited for the Singapore Harbourside Festival on November 19-21^st.