Introduction
Gurmat Kirtan is singing the Gurbani in the prescribed way as instructed by the Sikh Gurus. Kirtan has its initial roots in the 12th century when Sheikh Farid Ji and Bhagat Jaidev Ji found the all-prevailing Creator and sang Gurbani. Further light over Kirtan and Gurbani was put in the 15th century by Bhagat Kabir Ji, but the Satguru's Matt on how to perform such worship of Akaal Purakh and sing Kirtan was started by Satguru Nanak Dev Ji. Bhai Mardana, the beloved disciple of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, was given the wondrous gift of performing Kirtan and playing Rabab by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Guru Nanak Dev Ji, accompanied by Bhai Mardana, traveled worldwide and spread the message of Akaal Purakh and "Naam" in the form of music called Gurmat Kirtan. Satguru Nanak Dev Ji gave us the tradition of Kirtan as a means to connect with God. The Gurmat Kirtan Tradition has been practiced for the last 500 years and is an integral part of a Gursikh’s life. The primer keepers of Gurmat kirtan tradition were the Rabābis exclusively until the time of Guru Arjun Dev Ji. When Rabābi Jatha of Bhai Satta Ji and Bhai Balvand Ji were blinded by arrogance and egotism because of their musical prowess, Guru Arjun Dev Ji did Kirtan and gave this Pracheen Kalā to other Gursikhs. Guru Arjun Dev Ji opened a Kirtan Taksāl to teach correct Rāga saroops and Tāl structures and instruction on how to do Kirtan, where Rāga, Tāla, and unique style of singing is used as a method for spreading the word of the Satguru. Since then, the tradition of Gurmat Kirtan in the relevant style prescribed and taught by Guru Arjun Dev Ji and other Sikh Gurus has been passed down from generation to generation to the Rāgis and Rabābis.
Preserving & Promoting
Preservation is important because we need to preserve the original form of Gurmat Kirtan to understand and arm ourselves with the knowledge of how to recite Gurbani in the correct saroop of Rāga and Tāla. Preservation is also crucial because Rāgis and Rabābis have abandoned the Pracheen and ancient style of music and have adopted contemporary music. This has led to more emphasis on the music than on the Shabad (Guru’s message) (Shabad Pradhaan hai). Either the Rāga takes precedence over the Shabad, or the Shabad is not in any Rāga and is just some musical tune of a song which is a big disrespect on its own. But, nevertheless, some Gurmat Kirtan Exponents and Maestros recorded and wrote down their life’s work that was passed down to them from their ancestors. This treasure of Pracheen Gurmat Kirtan Parampara dates back to the Sikh Gurus’ time. So, preserving this ancient and pristine art in its original form is essential to carry it over for generations.
Kanwal Foundation's Connection
Kanwal foundation’s roots are connected with a family that has been long since associated in this art of music — Gurmat Sangeet. One of the pioneers in this area, Bhai Sahib Bhai Jwala Singh Ragi from Thata Tibba, Kapurthala, is a recognized musician by the Darbar Sahib. He carried forward his learnings to his family — Gyani Gurcharan Singh Ragi (Kanwal), Bhai Avtar Singh Ragi, Bhai Swaran Singh Ragi, and other descendants, including Bhai Kultar Singh Ragi and Bhai Baldeep Singh Ragi.
Kanwal Foundation's prime motive is to give everyone the gift of kirtan so as to connect them with the Shabad Guru and Akaal Purakh! The question is: how do we get that knowledge and style back if it was used five centuries ago? We can look for GurSikh families who were given this wondrous blessing of Gurmat Kirtan and have preserved the way of Kirtan from the time of the Guru’s time.
Moving Forward
Kanwal foundation believes in preserving and promoting the original Kirtan Kalā, the rāga saroops, and the way the compositions were recited at the time of the Sikh Gurus. Kanwal Foundation can instill this learning by supporting young Kirtaniyas to learn the right saroops of the Rāgas, gāyan sheyli (style of singing), and the meaning of the GurBāni. Along with Kirtan Sewa this organizations is interested in improving the livelihood of young Kirtaniyas along with providing them with a platform to showcase their talents (Kirtan Samāgum).
To begin, the Kanwal Foundation will be opening up a Kirtan Taksaal (Academy) to impart Pracheen knowledge of Gurmat Kirtan (Gurbani Sangeet) and provide an accessible platform for students to learn the wonderful blessing of Guru Sahib Ji! It will learning the Rāga saroops, Tāl saroops, the style of singing, the ways to start the Kirtan Hazoori, researching other rāgas not included in Guru Granth Sahib Ji, practicing Purātan composition, making new practice compositions to understand the whole Rāga, and most importantly, the meaning behind the Shabad — the message is Guru Sahib giving us.