Disrespect Disguised As Keertan

English Articles

Jarnail Singh

http://www.understandingguru.com

Introduction

Keertan, a devotional musical tradition in Sikhism, is an inseparable part of the daily routine of a Gurudwara anywhere in the world. Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, started it. His companion, Bhai Mardana, was a maestro of Rabab, a string-based musical instrument. Accompanied by this music, Guru Nanak sang his compositions to articulate his message to the audience. The subsequent Gurus followed this tradition. They all loved music. No wonder, the verses in Guru Granth Sahib, the scripture on which Sikhism is based, are also compiled into different Rags or rhythmic patterns of Indian classical music. Why is that?

The Reason

Verses of Guru Granth Sahib are known as Gurbani. Gurbani means the word of the Guru. Though these verses are composed as poetry they are intended to be more than a lyric or song. It has been made crystal clear in Guru Granth Sahib itself,” Folks mistake it as a song, but it is a deep discussion on the meaning of life.” (1) Since it is a deep deliberation on the meaning of life, Guru ensured that the intended message gets across to the reader or audience with ease and clarity. Instructions to sing these verses in the prescribed Rag is one of the several measures taken to ensure this as per the list below.

  1. Instructions to sing these verses in the prescribed Rag or musical pattern.
  2. Repeating the opening verse or “Mool Mantar”, which is the capsule of fundamental teachings of Sikhism, more than 500 times in Guru Granth Sahib, so that the reader is not distracted away from these fundamentals. (2)
  3. The introduction of the concept of Rahao or pause after the line containing the central idea of the verse prompts the reader to keep it in mind when understanding the verse.
  4. Compiling and arranging the verses according to the subject matter discussed.
  5. Instructions are given through an explanatory verse if there is the possibility of misinterpretation. (3)
  6. To safeguard against future interpolation subtotal, total, and grand totals are provided for all lines in every collection and Rag.

Now let us understand what Keertan is in more detail.

What is Keertan in Sikhism?

Keertan is a Punjabi word that means song of appreciation. However, it has a special meaning in Sikhism. It has been defined by Bhai Kahn Singh and Prof Sahib Singh (4) as the musical rendering of the verses of appreciation, contained in Guru Granth Sahib, of the creator of this universe in prescribed Rags. So, to be classified as Keertan, it must satisfy two conditions.

  1. Appreciation of the Creator
  2. Singing as per prescribed Rag or musical rhythm.

There is a total of 31 Rags in Guru Granth Sahib. For the benefit and ease of the singer, apart from the Rags, Guru has also prescribed a “Ghar” for every verse. “Ghar” means metric cycle or beat (or “Taal” as they call it in Punjabi), to be used while rendering the verse to a musical or rhythmic pattern. There are seventeen “Ghars” prescribed for singing verses in Guru Granth Sahib. Ghar or Tal binds music and poetry in their metrical form. As per Sikhi Wiki, Tala (also written as (‘’Tal’’) in Indian Music and Gurbani Keertan refers to a complete and complex system for the execution and transcription of musical rhythms and beats. The main instrument for keeping rhythm in Indian music is Tabla. (5)

Guru has done all this hard work for a reason. Assigning specific Rag and Ghar to the verses carries an important message for the singer. It has to be sung in that Rag and Ghar. Bhai Kahn Singh says that “verses sung as per Rag leave a lasting impact on the mind and catch the attention of the listener.” (6) Verses sung as per Rag create an air of serenity and tranquillity around them. A sense of composure spreads across the audience. This is what is required to articulate the desired message. Guru has specially explained it in Guru Granth Sahib using a metaphor of milk churning. If we churn the milk steadily and slowly, we get the butter out of it. But if we churn it rashly in haste, we lose all the butter in milk. (7) Similarly, we shall miss the true import and essence of these verses, if we sing them in an atmosphere devoid of serenity and composure. So, to hammer home the essence of these verses we need to create an atmosphere and ambiance of serenity and tranquillity. That is the reason, Guru has laid down instructions for rendering these verses to music in the prescribed Rag. When sung in the prescribed Rag the true meaning of the verse dawns upon the mental landscape of the listener. We mentioned above that verses of Gurbani are not intended to be a song or lyric. Songs and lyrics are designed for entertainment and to make money. Gurbani Keertan has no such motive.  It is pertinent to note here that clapping, whistling, and dancing, which is normal in singing for entertainment, are prohibited during Keertan. Clapping or whistling are signs of emotional agitation while Keertan is designed to stimulate rational thinking.

However, it must be mentioned here that, on their own, the Rags do not elevate a singing to the status of Kirtan. It has been clearly stated in Guru Granth Sahib that a Rag can be classified as Kirtan only when verses of appreciation for the Creator are sung in that Rag. Given below are five quotes to substantiate this point. (8)

  1. Sri Rag is the best only if it inspires love for the True Creator. (Page 83)
  2. Rag Gauri is auspicious only when it makes us remember the Creator. (Page 311)
  3. Keydara Rag is good when it stimulates the love for wisdom. (Page 1087)
  4. Malaar Rag is calm and soothing if you meditate on the Creator in it. (Page 1283)
  5. Ramkali Rag embellishes my mind when it creates love for the Creator. (Page930)

Many famous singers sing melodiously in the Indian classical Rags. However, their melodies end up being entertainment only. And this entertainment is done for money. For example, qawwals and ghazal singers perform in classical Rags, but they do so to entertain their audience and make money. It is a fact that entertainment has its place and importance in society. But Keertan is designed for it. It has been designed for education using Rags as a vehicle to convey the message of Gurbani. Rags in themselves do not serve this purpose. Guru says on page 450,” Some sing in different Rags and sound currents, but this does not please the Lord.” (9) What is required is the appreciation of the Creator springing from a pure heart. Singing for entertainment and money cannot achieve this.

Modern Day Keertan

Gurbani Keertan has witnessed a big downfall in its standard. There was a time when music directors from Bollywood, used to visit Darbar Sahib (Amritsar) to listen to the music and take home some lessons. Nowadays with only a few exceptions, Gurbani Keertan takes lessons from Bollywood. Gurbani Keertan has traditionally been performed accompanied by string-based instruments since its inception in the 15th century. Nowadays it is done with harmonium. Harmonium was invented in the West in the 18th century and introduced in India in 1860 by Davjindranath Tagore (Elder brother of the famous poet Rabindranath Tagore). It is easy to use and light to carry. Soon it became popular in India and replaced string-based instruments in the Gurudwaras. However, the experts in Indian classical music deem it unfit and incapable of playing the Indian classical Rags. Bhai Baldeep Singh, an expert in Gurbani Keertan, calls it a graveyard of Rags. (10) This is probably why there is now a call from the SGPC, to phase out the use of Harmonium at Darbar Sahib in three years. Apart from this development, many other infirmities have also crept into the Gurbani Keertan being done these days.

  1. It has become a source of entertainment, instead of education.

It does not take long to realize that modern-day Keertan fails to create an atmosphere of serenity, a prerequisite of Gurbani Keertan, to ensure that the real message of the verse is articulated. It is no longer rendered in the prescribed Rags. It has become a profession to earn money and the ”Keetaniyas” or singers or Gurbani, do whatever they can to make as much money as possible. Their focus is money, not the message. Even the Gurudwara committees are avariciously involved in it. Some gifted singers who have melodious voices have become crowd-pullers. They are the favourites of these committees for an invitation to perform in their Gurudwaras. By doing so, the singers and the management committees both make a lot of money by providing entertainment to the visitors in the Gurudwara.  There is a pitfall in it. Since these singers have created a market for this entertainment, other non-Sikh singers will also jump in to make hay while the sun shines. It has already started. All this is leading towards the commercialization of the Gurbani Keertan which will have disastrous repercussions for this noble profession.

  • A display of ego.

When these “Keertaniyas” or Gurbani singers start, they quote these lines from Guru Granth Sahib. “ਭਲੋ ਭਲੋ ਰੇ ਕੀਰਤਨੀਆ” (ਪੰਨਾ) 885॥ meaning “ Blessed is the Gurbani singer” or “ਕਲਜੁਗ ਮਹਿ ਕੀਰਤਨੁ ਪਰਧਾਨਾ॥” ਪੰਨਾ 1075 meaning :” Gurbani Keertan is the best thing to do in Kaliyuga”. This is a blatant display of their ego and a perfect example of misinterpretation by taking a line out of its context. In the first line “Keertaniya” is not the one who sings Gurbani, but anyone who appreciates and admires the Creator. For this, you don’t have to be a singer. Even silence can be ripe with appreciation. In the second quote, it is implied that Sikhism supports the Hindu division of time into different Yugas, while Guru has specifically refuted this concept in Guru Granth Sahib.

  • It has been used to misinterpret Gurbani.

For example, while doing Keertan, if the word “Naam” comes in the verse, they start reciting “Waheguru… Waheguru” incessantly. Thus, giving a wrong impression that Naam in Gurbani means nonstop parroting this word. Many verses are sung on certain occasions associating them with the mood of that occasion. For example, the verse starting with the words,” Where is he who did not stop talking” “ਬਾਬਾ ਬੋਲਤੇ ਤੇ ਕਹਾ ਗਏ” (ਪੰਨਾ 480) is sung at the time of death while this is not about death but debilitating sense organs in old age. Similarly, at the birth of a male child, the verse that is sung is, “Take blessing of your mum my son” “ਪੂਤਾ ਮਾਤਾ ਕੀ ਆਸੀਸ” (ਪੰਨਾ 496), giving the impression that this verse is a celebration of the birth of a male child, while the real message of this verse is to inspire us to remember the Creator.

  • Tempering with the original structure of the verses.

Like the qawwals, who make a cocktail of poetry on the stage mixing several couplets from here and there to entertain the audience, modern-day Keertan also uses this technique to entertain the Sangat.  Apart from this, they also dare to temper with and change the famous verses sung as a daily routine in Gurudwaras. For example, Asa Ki Var is sung in all Gurudwaras every morning. Its message is diluted by mixing it with so many other verses. The original verse is a beautiful social diatribe that loses all its sting in the version sung in the Gurudwaras. Anand Sahib, another famous verse is truncated from its original 40 stanzas to just 6 stanzas and is named “Anandi”. These are only a few examples of undue liberty taken to temper with the structure of Gurbani.

There is no denying the fact that modern-day Keertan has degenerated into an entertainment industry. It is disrespect disguised as Keertan. It was not designed for entertainment. It was designed to ensure that the real intent of the verse is articulated in a way that makes a lasting impact. As a counterargument, some people point out that Guru himself instructed us to sing the “Vars” (a poetic form) in some popular tunes. So, then it should be ok to sing other verses in popular Bollywood tunes. However, Guru’s instructions are only to adopt the popular tune, and not to abandon the Rag it has been written in.

Who is to Blame and What Needs to be Done

The blame for this situation lies with the Gurudwara committees, especially SGPC. They were and are supposed to be vigilant and guide the Sikhs in all their religious matters. The recent instruction to phase out harmonium is a step in the right direction. However, their plan of action to achieve this deadline is not known. Singing of Gurbani in the prescribed Rags is not an easy job. A lot of hard work and time is required to master this skill. So those who go into this profession are to be rewarded adequately for their hard work and time. SGPC should set up a music university to educate and train those who aspire to go into this profession. This is an age of AI. SGPC can use AI to create and restore Gurbani singing by the famous “Keertaniyas” of yesteryears. It is possible. To quote Y.N. Harari, “Of all forms of art, music is probably the most susceptible to Big Data Analysis because both inputs and outputs lend themselves to precise mathematical depiction.” (11)

Notes and References

  1. The original in Punjabi reads as “ਲੋਗੁ ਜਾਨੈ ਇਹੁ ਗੀਤੁ ਹੈ ਇਹੁ ਤਉ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਬੀਚਾਰ॥(ਪੰਨਾ 335)              
  2. This opening verse in Punjabi and its English translation is as follows. ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥Before this cosmos came into existence God was in a compressed state called “ekonkar”. Creating the eternal laws, God expands and resides in its creation operating these laws without any fear or hostility. God being beyond the limits of time does not take birth, exists on its own, and can only be understood through knowledge sifted by the discerning intellect.
  3. For example, Sheikh Farid in one of his verses on page 1380 of Guru Granth Sahib says that those imbued with the love of the Lord do not have blood in their bodies. Guru intervenes here with a verse stating that a body cannot survive without blood and the word blood means greed in this verse.
  4. Bhai Kahn Singh says this in his Mahan Kosh and Prof Sahib Singh in his Darpan.
  5. Click on the link below to find this information about all the Ghars in Guru Granth Sahib. https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Ghar
  6. Gurmat Martand, Part 2, 2005 Edition, Page 799
  7. The relevant quote in Guru Granth Sahib is as under at page 478. “ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਬਿਲੋਵਨਾ ਬਿਲੋਵਹੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਭਾਈ॥ਸਹਿਜ ਬਿਲੋਵਹੁ ਜੈਸੇ ਤਤੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ॥” (ਪੰਨਾ 478)
  8. The original quotes in Punjabi are as under.
  9. ਰਾਗਾਂ ਵਿਚਿ ਸ੍ਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਹੈ ਜੇ ਸਚਿ ਧਰੇ ਪਿਆਰੁ॥ਪੰਨਾ 83
  10. ਗਉੜੀ ਰਾਗਿ ਸੁਲਖਣੀ ਜੇ ਖਸਮੈ ਚਿਤਿ ਕਰੇਇ॥ਪੰਨਾ 311
  11. ਕੇਦਾਰਾ ਰਾਗਾ ਵਿਚਿ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਭਾਈ ਸਬਦੇ ਕਰੇ ਪਿਆਰੁ॥ਪੰਨਾ 1087
  12. ਮਲਾਰੁ ਸੀਤਲ ਰਾਗੂ ਹੈ ਹਰਿ ਧਿਆਇਐ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਹੋਇ॥ਪੰਨਾ 1283
  13. ਰਾਮਕਲੀ ਰਾਮੁ ਮਨਿ ਵਸਿਆ ਤਾ ਬਨਿਆ ਸੀਗਾਰੁ॥ਪੰਨਾ 950
  14. The original quote in Punjabi reads as “ਕੋਈ ਗਾਵੈ ਰਾਗੀ ਨਾਦੀ ਬੇਦੀ ਬਹੁ ਭਾਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਨਹੀ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਭੀਜੈ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਜੈ॥“
  15. Bhai Baldeep Singh said this in an interview with Harjot Singh on his channel The Way Forward. The link to this interview is as follows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh81_aFvxgQ
  16. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, 2018 Vintage Edition, Page 36

01/10/2024

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