The 6^th Anād Kav Tarang Festival at the Fort
May 17, 2011

The crumbling walls, which have been mute citadels to centuries of history, culture and romance of the yesteryears were re-visited by the members of the Anad Foundation under the chairmanship of Bhai Baldeep Singh who hosted the Kav-Tarang. His endeavor and efforts to bring together all the known, unknown aspiring poets of Asia and from all over the world on a common platform where there would again be a revival of the fine arts and poetry which sadly had been reduced to oblivion of late. His wish is to invoke the times of Guru Nanak and his disciple from where it all started. In his opening address amongst the mystical ambience created by the starry canopy of the open skies bathed in moonlight with a peepal tree as old as Father time and birds as an equal but effective vocal spectators he invoked the blessings of the Almighty to bless them and this venture where he hoped that all the finest storytellers would congregate to share, preserve and carry forward the true lineage for the future generations to come.

The program got off to a great start when a legend, an icon by his own right, Bhai Gurcharan Singh Ragi blessed them and hoped that they would meet unconditional success. He said that this noble work, which is arduous, long but would enable them to save and restore and revive the lost fortunes and the cultural heritage of Punjab would surely meet success. For the occasion he sung an old poem of his, which he had written 70 years ago and had been sung by him for the first time at Gurudwara Ber Sahib on the no-moon day. It is titled ‘kiddan di swad laggi Ber Saheb masiya’ and was appreciated and applauded by the audience.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Harkesh Singh Sidhu, Deputy Commissioner of Kapurthala, said that the effort by BBS to revive the lost art and to restore the cultures and traditions to the rightful place was to be commended. He said that any job which is undertaken with an open mind and where one gives total commitment ensures success and it always bears fruit. The Finance minister in her capacity had sanctioned a grant of Rs 2 Crore for the foundation which would go a long way in reviving the culture. The chief guest of the function SSP Sukhminder Singh Maan PPS expressed gratitude and joy over the scale of operations and applauded the efforts of BBS who singlehandedly had undertaken a crusade to save the dying art and culture of Punjab.

The festival which hosted new and emerging poets and first timers was also attended by a number of veterans who recited their compositions and enthralled the audience which was attended in large numbers by inhabitants of the area and by known personalities such as Prof. Charan Singh Member Congress, Kiranjit S. Bawa, Dinesh Kumar Dhir, Jashanjeet Singh Tehsildar, Gurmit Singh DSP, Rajnder Rana Advocate, Bhai Narain Singh, Dr. Harjit Singh, Dr. Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa Principal, Madam Manjit Kaur Padda, Dr Swaran Singh.

The program was started by the famous poet Surjit pattar who recited his poem ‘mai vee lai avaan svad akkhiyaan da‘. He also applauded the efforts undertaken by BBS to revive the lost art and cultural traditions of Punjab. An emerging poetess Sukhjinder Kaur Bhullar recited a moving composition on daughters. The other esteemed poets present were Surjeet Sajan, Harphool singh , Iblees, Biba Kulwant , Chan Mommi, Balram, Gursharan Singh Takhtar, Gurdeep Gill, Ranbir Singh, Joshan Adeeb, Anoop Singh Noori, Jang Bahadur Singh Ghuman, Ravinder Rocky, Jasbir Vantawali, Jaspal Jeervi, Lalli Kartarpuri, Surinderpal Singh Sandhu, Preet Madhopuri who read out heir poems. A novice poet Hari Tehal Singh read out his poem “The Arrival” in English which was met with applause. The Sangeet Natak Academy awardee Children Theatre Director VK read out his poem ‘bina kitabaan kam na sarda‘ and he also lauded the efforts undertaken. VK also recited ‘badra mukhse horh kare hai‘, a poem written in Hindi by the octogenarian poet of Sultanpur Lodhi, Amarnath Kostubh. Surjit Patar’s poems ‘oth jagaa de mombattiaan‘ and ‘mai rahaan te nahin turda, mai turda haan ta raah bannde ne‘ dedicated to the efforts of Bhai Baldeep Singh concluded the evening.

The magical evening carried on suspended in time bathed in moon rays, transporting one and all to a forgotten era, the moods heightened by songs sung by Jaswinder Ludhaina, Mukhtair S Chandi.

At the function, Bhai Baldeep Singh presented ‘Paintee’, a compilation of 35 poems by Amarjit Chandan published by the Anād Foundation to the visiting dignitaries.