The 2011 Gurmat Sangeet course with Bhai Baldeep Singh Ji in Espanola was a chance to escape from the world and immerse myself in music and sangat. The ‘reets’ or ‘musical compositions’ that Bhai Sahib shared are masterpieces of such grandeur that every note and intonation explores the Guru’s bani.

The Gurus made music a very large part of what they passed on to us, which suggests that they saw its tremendous power to uplift. Bhai Sahib tells us that there are four cornerstones to doing kirtan – bani, tala, raga, and chitt. When these four things come together and I meld with kirtan, I fill with tranquility, completeness, and am no longer a separate entity. These experiences keep me coming back to Bhai Sahib’s courses again and again.

The Gurus left us a tremendous heritage that is so vast it is hard to articulate. They were thinkers who stirred a rearrangement of the socioeconomic structure of society and also exceptional warriors, poets, and musicians. I feel a responsibility to do my best in making sure our Gurmat Sangeet tradition doesn’t die.
Thank you so much.

-Gurkaran Singh, Houston, TX