YaarAnād Virtual Baithak Mēlā S1: E52 with Ustād Harbhajan Singh Namdhari

YaarAnād Virtual Baithak Series — Season 1, Episode 52 with Ustād Harbhajan Singh Namdhari Rāñgalī Satth (Virtual) Mēlā 52 with Gurbāṇī Saṅgīta exponent, Ustād Harbhajan Singh Namdhari, hosted by Bhai Baldeep Singh. He will be joining live from Birmingham, England, at 7:30 PM (India) on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. About the series: As an extension of the World Music Heritage Series conceived and produced by maestro Bhai Baldeep Singh for Anād Records, the YaarAnād Virtual Baithak Series aims to celebrate excellence in the field of music, arts, dance, theatre, and literature. The YaarAnād Virtual Baithak Series marks the 550th birth anniversary of Gurū Nānak Dēv, the first gurū of the Sikhs. Il maestro: Born in March 1945, Ustad Harbhajan Singh grew up in Kujhar, a remote village now in Pakistan. His passion for music was revealed at the tender age of eleven when, without having received any tutelage he was playing the harmonium in the divans and kirtan durbars of Baba Pratap Singh, head of the Nāmdhari sect. Recognizing the exceptional talent Baba Jagjit Singh undertook the long arduous task of training him in the complete discipline of Gurbāṇī Saṅgīta. This started with Ustad Tara Singh who taught him the Dilruba, a prominent instrument of antiquity, played whilst singing Gurbāṇī Shabads. His talent for singing was nurtured by Maharaj Bir Singh, Shri Hazur Singh ‘Chander Hans’ and renowned vocalist Pandit Mahadev Prasad (Kathak). Ten years of demanding discipline saw Harbhajan Singh emerge a master in the singing of such difficult compositions as those in the style of Dhrupad and Dhamar, as well as conventional classical singing, it goes without saying that he was also required to memorize an awesome array of Gurbāṇī Shabads. Under the directive of Baba Jagjit Singh to learn to play the sitar, Harbhajan Singh became one of the few privileged students of the Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, who tutored him for a further eight years. During this period Harbhajan Singh was appointed to impart his knowledge to the next generation of Namdhari students at Sri Bhaini Sahib. His skills in teaching can be seen in the numerous prodigies who are today names in themselves to be reckoned with. Whilst on tour to the outside world as Hazuri Ragi, he has inspired young talent in places as far apart as Thailand, Kenya, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, where he has taught many a student in all the various styles of Indian classical music. By writing down in notational form compositions that were traditionally handed down by word of mouth he has made available an immense bank for reference to students and connoisseurs when he is not there to guide them. He has also emerged as an exceptionally gifted composer whose own compositions are being sung the world over. Bestowing his blessings on Ustad Harbhajan Singh, Sri Satguru Jagjit Singhji once said that, “….he is the tree from which we cultivate new saplings.” Ustad Harbhajan Singh is one of the most important exponents of Gurbāṇī Saṅgīta Paramparā and the senior-most among the Namdhari community. His mentorship under the likes of Ustad Tara Singh, Maharaj Bir Singh Namdhari, and Pandit Mahadev Prasad makes him one of the last remaining links to Punjab’s musical heritage. He has collected a very eclectic musical repertoire that consists of rare gurbāṇī kīrtana and dhrupad-dhamār compositions and hence makes his contribution to gurbāṇī kīrtana, phenomenal. He stands tall among his contemporaries as unlike other exponents, he alone has taught many famous gurbāṇī kīrtaniye including Shiromani Ragi Bhai Baljit Singh Namdhari, Bhai Mohan Singh Namdhari, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, Bhai Harbans Singh Ghulla, and many others. Partner Anād: Please do consider financially supporting The Anad Foundation, New Delhi, to partner Anād’s vital intangible heritage conservation efforts and publications at https://anadfoundation.org/please-don... All donations in Indian rupees are tax exempt u/s 80G. The use of your donation for the works listed above is monitored by RS Ahuja Co. and audited by Gaurav Kapoor and Rupal Jain. Please feel free to share with others in your respective circles of friends, family and acquaintances for you never know — ‘vichuṛiā mēlai prabhū nānak kari saṅjōga’!