A 500-year-old musical tradition, usually confined to gurdwaras, enthralled a Kolkata audience on Saturday.
It was an evening of Gurmat Sangeet, a musical rendition of the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.
Gurmat means the Guru’s teachings and sangeet means music.
“Gurmat Sangeet is a unique musical tradition, which is five centuries old. Sri Guru Nanak Devji, the founder of Sikhism and the first Sikh Guru, began the tradition along with his disciple, Bhai Mardana, traveling around... spreading the divine message of one loving God.
“The tradition has been continued and refined by every Sikh Guru. With Gurmat Sangeet, the divine message is communicated through Shabad (hymn/s, religious messages or poems) Kirtan. There are 31 ragas mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib, which also specifies the raga that each Shabad is to be rendered in,” the organisers said in a note.
Alankar Singh, one of the foremost practitioners of Gurmat Sangeet and a scholar of Indian classical music, offered the rendition on Saturday. It lasted for around 90 minutes.
Alankar Singh, head of Gurmat Sangeet department and chair at Punjabi University, Patiala, had flown in for the concert. He was accompanied by S. Sandeep Singh on the dilruba and S. Narinderpal Singh on the tabla.
The 250-seater city banquet was packed, with scores standing. The audience included music students, enthusiasts, members of the Sikh, Punjabi and Sindhi communities and many others.
“Music is a divine pathway that unites hearts with the profound teachings of the Guru. We are thankful to the organisers for inviting us to display to the people of Kolkata the timeless tradition of Gurmat Sangeet and communicate to them the divine message,” said Alankar Singh.
The evening, titled Gurmat Raag Darbar, was organised by the IHA Foundation.
“Gurmat Sangeet is an Indian heritage. But it usually happens inside gurdwaras. We want to take it to a larger audience. It aligns with our mission of promoting and preserving India’s diverse cultural heritage. Events like these serve to bring to the forefront the profound significance of traditional arts and music, ensuring they continue to flourish and be cherished by future generations,” said Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, chairperson of the foundation.