US/Canada Tour 2007 continues... from last month.

We are in Toronto, Canada.
Wed: Aug.1 : Art of Living Center concert (Toronto)
Thurs/Fri; Aug.2/3 : Two evening programs at Scarborough Gurdwara (Toronto)
Sat/Sun : Clarendon Music Festival (near Ottawa)
Mon. Fly to Florida

Good start to the month with quality concerts at 'The Art of Living' centre in Toronto. This has now become a regular program here and well appreciated. This regular program started the day the Dixie Gurdwara stopped us from doing kirtan 4 years ago. The 'Art of Living' organisation instantly asked us to do a program. That was four years ago and since then it has become a regular feature - well received and well appreciated.

We then did two programs at Scarborough gurdwara. It is once again sad, I must comment, that gurdwaras like this do not feel it necessary to reward kirtanias with any form of compensation for their service, except the token 'chedava' the sangat gives. I did get the customary piece of saffron cloth as 'seropa' on the second day and a request by the Perdhan Sahib to stay back and help with their youth camp the next week. I wish I could hand 'seropas' to all creditors I have to make payments to, with a warm 'Thank You' - 'seropas' to United Airlines for bringing the whole group halfway around the globe; 'seropas' to taxi drivers who take us from one place to another; 'seropas' to my group members for being part of my group and hopefully they can use 'seropas' to pay for their bills. etc. etc. .. you get the picture!

I am so grateful to our hosts like Mr. Kohli and family who put us up and feed us and also provide us with transport. Without friends like these we would not be able to do this at all. BUT, obviously some gurdwaras and gurdwara committees do not see the need to pay us in
some form of remuneration for these services.

The weekend was a heavenly dream at remote Clarendon - the Blue Skies Music Festival, in the woods (with black bears!)  on the way to Ottawa from Toronto. Good friend, Sikh Dharma 'Mukhi' Harinam Singh Ji Khalsa, drove us there and we all shared a wonderful weekend and also spreading the message of Nanak amongst non-Sikhs. The forests echoed with the chant of 'SATNAAM' on Sunday night at 10pm. What a lovely sewa to be involved in!

FLORIDA

We landed in Orlando Airport at midnight, Monday 6th. Aug. from Toronto, Canada and my good friend Navtej Singh Khalsa was on hand to
pick us up and take us back to his lovely home in the woods, place called Geneva. He not only lives in a 'gated' community but also a 'wooded' one. As you drive into the vast estate with large lakes etc. you barely see the houses except high trees and thick bushes. The
houses are well hidden in the trees and bushes, and deer, possums, raccoons, snakes, cranes, flying geese and other fauna are abundant.
We saw racoons and foxes on the road as we drove in at 2am  but alas, we were hoping to see an alligator for which Florida is reknowned! No such luck. navtej claims there are one or two in a lake near their home! The humid weather hit us like stepping into a furnace. These are the tropics, like homecountry Malaysia.

My first job at 2 in the morning, on arriving from the airport, was to take a customary dip in his swimming pool. Nothing like an 'amritvela dip' at 2am!! Goood start to this leg of the tour...

Tues. Rest day.

Wed. Group members were taken on a tour of Kennedy Space Center by Navtej. I could not tear myself away from Navtej's swimming pool for almost the whole day! They witnessed the launch of space shuttle 'Endeavour'. Evening program was postponed so that the group could fully enjoy the launch - a once in a lifetime experience perhaps for Aussies!!!

Thurs. Sikh Youth Day Camp, Orlando, Florida. A great day with about 40, on Sikhi especially 'naam simran' and the power of Ardaas.

Friday: Concert at Trinity College Auditorium, Orlando.
Sat. Sikh Dharma Ashram concert - full house!
Sun 12th. Noon: Orlando gurdwara.       Pm. private program - Navtej's home.
Mon/Tues. : Trip to Miami : Raj Singh and family (a beautiful wild ride on a hover/flat boat at the Everglades swamp and seeing alligators in the wild.) Thanks Raj and family for a lovely time! Evening dinnner at Ranbir, Navtej's younger brother.

Wed. Flight - early morning: Florida to Seattle - yes, right across the country - south-east to north-west. Radio interview in Seattle at 3pm. to promote concert at Kenmore.

Thurs.: 6.30pm. Outdoor concert : Evening Concert Series, Kenmore City Council. An enthusiastic 600 strong audience enjoyed a two hour
concert in the balmy late summer weather of Seattle. Magical evening.

Friday : 9 hr. road trip from Seattle to Salmon Arms in BC. A most beautiful drive of 9 hours but thru the lovely Rockies. My hotel room
faces a most picturesque view of a lake teeming with birds, migratory geese and two ospreys who have made a nest on a high (man-made) platform right outside my window. High mountains loom over the lake in the distance. Truly a most beautiful place - heavenly.

Heard a very good 'Sikhi' joke which I must share :

A Granthi Sahib well versed in doing the Sikh ritual of Sehaj Paths had four different prices for potential customers, as follows:
Full proper, loud 'path', the full works version - $500.
  'Gnun-gna path': - can't be heard, very very fast - $300.
'chutki path' : At end of page hold a few pages between fingers and... flick - $200
Finally, 'theba path' ; at end of page hold a few pages between both hands and flip them - only $100.
But he insisted that the following lines must be added to the ardaas...
'Hey sachay Patshah, Aad pedeya, aant pedeya, vichon vichon tera darshan kereya, Path karen dha paap ya pun, keraven vale dhe sir chedeya!'
(My apologies to non-Sikhs and those who do not know Panjabi - just not the same in English!)

Salmon Arm - Blues and Roots Festival (weekend 17/18.Aug)

We were totally unknown when we walked in. Our very first concert was on centre stage and it was what we Aussies call a 'ripper'! Sound was perfect, weather was perfect and the time - 5pm. was perfect for us. We had the 5000 strong audience dancing, swaying, foot-tapping, clapping and chanting 'SATNAAM' by the time we finished our one hour. It was a wonderful finale to our tour of festivals in north America. Sunday was more laid back with two 'jam' sessions with various world music groups from around the world.

Mon. 7am start by road from Salmon Arm to (Richmond) Vancouver to meet the Cheema perivar who have worked very hard to get us to do one program in Vancouver.
2-4pm : Meeting Up with interested Sikh youth of Vancouver
7pm: 'Hajri' : Sukh Sagar gurdwara, Richmond.
Tues. Last day on this subcontinent for this tour - flight Vancouver-London

ancouver turned out to be a surprisingly 'high' stop. Our hosts, the Cheema family and the  'young' new committee of the Sukh Saagar gurdwara in Richmond did great publicity and for a Monday, firstly over 150 turned up for the afternoon 'heart-to-heart' session and a capacity sangat at the evening semagham. What a lovely  way to end the tour on such a high note.

UK - Wed.22nd.
Thurs. BBC interview for Nehru Centre concert.
Weekend: Two evening programs at Ramgharia Southall.
Recording from Tues. - Sat.
Thurs. Nehru Centre

Though the tour is officially over, we decided to do two programs in Ramgharia `Gurdwara, Southall, UK as all group members were present. We were glad we did - there was tremendous response - reflected by cd sales and love and affection and appreciation of sangat and committee. Southall appears to get narrower every time we come, as more traffic builds up, but it is one of the liveliest places in the world. I had my share of fresh jalebis, chaat papdi, ras malai, gol gapay and faludha!

SACRED CHANTS OF THE SIKHS.

I was introduced to Craig Preuss, music producer for Gurinder Chadha's (and Paul Berges') movies. He invited me to his beautiful country home in sleepy Wiltshire and we recorded 'The Sacred Chants of the Sikhs' - a very special time in my life. In fact fulfillment of a lifetime! With Waheguru's grace it will be released worldwide in a few months.

SPECIAL CONCERT AT NEHRU CENTRE, LONDON FOR GURINDER CHADHA

Thurs. 30th. One of my finest moments - to be invited by Paul Berges & Gurinder Chadha to do a special concert for the birth of their twins - Ronak and Komiko. A capacity audience (200 seating) enjoyed a one and half hour concert. We were honoured to have Craig Preuss joining us on the trumpet.

Last day of the month. I am back in Craig's home/studio doing some final touches to the album we are recording.

CONCLUSION:

I have to mention some names at random without whose help,selfless sewa, financial outlay, enthusiasm and belief in our group, such tours would not be possible. Bicky Singh (LA) and family and www.sikhpoint.com ; the Pangalis of the Bay Area; Shalini and Vijay of San Diego; The Kohlis of Toronto; Navtej and family of Florida; the Nagras of St. Louis and also new additions to this group of friends of S. Harkrishan Singh and family of Detroit, and the R.S. Cheema family of Vancouver. In London thanks to my Bai Ji Gurmukh Singh of Southall;
the Matharu family of Reading; the Vilkhu family of Heston and Gurinder Chadha and Paul of movie making fame. This has truly been a great tour.

Finally I discovered the secret of keeping going with what I do best - world music Sikh kirtan. - To treat every program that we do as our
last! This has made every program memorable, of high quality and true nourishment for our souls, and the souls of those who join me and
those who have the opportunity of listening. Thank you, my daughters, Harsel and Jamel; and Parvyn who joined me on this tour. My great friends and fellow musicians on this tour - Keith, Dheeraj, Andrew and Josh, and those who joined us on the way - Kevin (LA), Simon, (dear Simon, who is such a loving charachter and looked after us as stand-in tour manager for this leg), in Seattle, Salmon Arm and Vancouver; and Craig Preuss, who hosted me for the recordings and joining us in London.

I am spending most of September in Malaysia on R & R. Anyone in Malaysia wants to see me in Malaysia will find me most mornings drinking 'teh tare' and eating dhosas at Batu Caves, climbing the lovely lush hills of Malaysia, spending time at waterfalls and hot springs, or of course, one of my favourite past-times, eating the lovely food and fruits of Malaysia. SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO DO IT!!!    IF ... I make it back to Oz, i shall be attending the Anand Karaj of two of our younger generation in Adelaide, around the 22nd.

Cherdhi Kela,      

Dya Singh