On May 30, 2016, Bhai Baldeep Singh, Chairman, The Anad Foundation, visited the residence of one of the world’s living legend sārangi maestros, Pandit Ram Narayan. Pandit Narayan speaks chaste Punjabi having worked at All India Radio (AIR), Lahore, until the partition of 1947. This visit was more about Pandit Ji hearing some of the ancient compositions of Gurbani and Khandarvani Dhrupad.
Here are some images that Bhai Baldeep Singh took of the maestro and his illustrious son, sarod maestro, Pandit Brij Narayan.
SHO Harpreet Singh, Former SSP of Kapurthala, Former DSP Devender Singh, Ashish Chodhary IPS, their assisting policemen, and Former Finance Minister of Punjab, Dr. Upinderjit Kaur, you are —squatting in Anad Foundation’s offices, classrooms, residences and lawns inside the Qila. I have waited for you to call me and apologise and invite me back in the Qila for which I along with some of the most fascinating contributors to Punjab have spent energy and blessed with their collective vision.
All of you combined together have shown yourselves as enemies of Punjab – its cultural heritage and now proven to only being good at butchering Punjab’s budding youth – their aspirations. You only know how to serve your petty interests. But sadly for you all, daddy has come home and daddy now asks the kids to behave! Sadly for you all, daddy is not a beggar —daddy is a tough teacher and I hope you all have secretly realized that you don’t mess up with this daddy-boy called Bhai Baldeep Singh.
Navtej Cheema, you have also been lying to people that you brought money —”crores of Rupees” you claimed – and that too for Anad Foundation —I will deal with that video of yours which I have only recently sourced. This Dr. Upinderjit Kaur was introduced to me as an academic and I had thought of adopting her as a mother when my own mother was slowly succumbing to cancer. But what a liar she proved out to be – going around in her election campaign claiming she had given 3 crores to Anad! Her PA even bragged to and taunted me once —that they had actually given 5 Crores.
Never-mind all of that —none of you will ever win an election unless a miracle happens – when you have shown extraordinary regret, some genuine remorse —this is not my curse, it is my blessing!
I never needed to fight an elections —you guys forced me for your kind of legislators have only eaten up Punjab, emptied its coffers and destroyed its prospects —all round prospects at that.
Even if I were to forgive you all —wherefrom will you give the chance back to the youngsters to study with some of the legends like Bhai’s Avtar Singh, Ustad Fahiumuddin Khan, Ustad Hafiz Khan, Ustad Asad Ali Khan, Pandit Panna Lal Upadhyay, Ustad Bhajan Lal, Bibi Jaswant Kaur and others who have all passed away?
Other like Bhai Gurcharan Singh, now at 100, and Ustad Vilayat Khan Ragi at 95 are unable to teach now!
These are just a few names!
Learn your lesson very quickly folks for I will prove to you that you are not the rulers but public servants and from now on you will keep your diktat in your pants only.
Adios for now – I will speak about this all and much more at the Parliament of Worlds Religions!
Listen to the video folks — share it all around — spread this anguish of a set of parents and the near death of their hope! Together, we shall not let the flame flicker away!
Do we want Punjab healthy and wealthy? If yes, come along with me and we will change this paradigm in Punjab and believe you me – things will never be the same!
yours sincerely,
bbs
Ustad Bhai Batan Singh of Mehli dedication Bhai Baldeep Singh in a Practice Session with Ustad Lakha Khan Manganiar (Sindhi Sarangi), Ghewar Khan (Kamaicha) and Firoze Khan (Dhol) – a short Alapa, and Dhurpad – “Hum Ghar Sajan Aaye” set in Jhaptaal, a 10-beats cycle.
Another example of recovered riches – that Anad Khand: Conservatory of Arts, Aesthetics, Cultural Traditions and Developmental Studies is a unique endeavour which is not just a school of music or mere arts!
Join the Anad Foundation and save Punjab’s heritage!
Sultanpur Lodhi is the first and foremost seat of Gur-Sikh learning where the tender, that the gentle child with the most challenging of all questions that shocked the greatest of spiritual masters and shook the very foundations all political and religious establishments —their hierarchy, Nanak, became the Guru – that extraordinary master with the most beautiful and transformative of all songs, and the answers from the realms of the Real.
After the tragic partition of Punjab in 1947, it was the first time that Gurbani Sangeet enthusiasts had begun to converge again from across the world to study at Sultanpur Lodhi.
The legacy of this ancient seat of learning had finally been revived!
On August 4, 2015, the local Punjab Police SHO, Harpreet Singh illegally attacked the Conservatory situated inside the Qila, Sultanpur Lodhi, threatening young students from underserved communities with immediate arrest and prosecution, allegedly at behest of local Akali Dal politician, former Finance Minister of Punjab, Dr. Upinderjit Kaur.
It is now time that we joined hands to recover the home of the most precious attempt in Sikh history at conserving and celebrating Punjab’s indigenous cultural traditions from the clutches of the corrupt and unlawful local police, abettor Punjab administration officials and politicians. Anad is a coming together of all those who care for Punjab and have been endowed with the gift of responsibly conserving and celebrating its extraordinary cultural heritage!
Join hands with Anad Foundation to fight against the illegal occupation and desecration of aheritage site by the local Police Station and help aesthetically and socio-culturally rebuild Punjab!
An open letter (Part I) to the Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal, by the students of Anad Conservatory.
I think he has to choose whether he is only to the CM of Akali Dal affiliates or is he also be the leader of all Punjabis, especially the ones who have given up their careers, jobs, ambitions and personal comforts to selflessly contribute to the rebuilding of Punjab, in particular!
A film by Singh TejInder. As part of the Oral History project, over 38 interviews have been done by Tejinder Singh, the runaway kuDee Banipreet Kaur when there were zillion things to be done, supported by Ashmita Lucktoo, Harpreet Kaur, Guddu Shailender, Kawaldeep Singh, Ajiteshwar Singh, Gaurav Kapoor(I hate Rupal Jain for he hasn’t called me in a hundred years), the abscondingPreeti Kathuria, Eknoor Kaur – but especially our staff at Sultanpur Lodhi,Jatinder Singh, Jagwinder Singh, tens of students and faculty. I am so grateful to the Akal-Sat Purkha for the gift of you all. Well, I do hate several amongst you if not all, but overall its cool to be at Anad!
I am going to fight tooth and nail to get the Qila for you all and countless others who deserve to have this thematically chosen locale for adaptive reuse as home to the cultural resurgence and blah blah blah —even though we, at Anad, are amongst the most plagiarized people on the planet but aren’t we a spring-sui-generis people?
Legendary Mountaineer Capt. M. S. Kohli in conversation with
Bhai Baldeep Singh
Not every day does one get an opportunity to walk into the living room of a national hero, and it is even more unlikely to have them recount and verbalise their life. In that lulling ambience, filled with nostalgic memoirs, Captain Mohan Singh Kohli sank into history and narrated details that bear testimony to the legends around the man who led the iconic Indian expedition to the Mount Everest in 1965.
The first-hand account is not only relevant in the national context but is explicit with touching tales of his energy, entity and belief. The conversation unravels numerous fascinating yet unknown aspects of his life, for example – as a seven year old child in Haripur (present day Pakistan), Capt. Kohli scaled hills to reach the crest where his ancestors were martyred and once the King of Nepal had sent his army to help him during one of his expeditions, when a local tribe ambushed his group. In an effort to chronicle those stories and anecdotes which got shadowed amidst the overpowering recount of his feats, Bhai Baldeep Singh has taken on the responsibility to write a biography that could do justice to the life and times of the man who became a great mountaineer.
Even after authoring 27 books himself, Capt. Kohli feels that certain subtleties could only be justifiably written by someone who knows him personally but can still offer a fresh and unbiased perspective and for this reason, he chose Bhai Baldeep Singh. The Anād Foundation looks forward to working with the legend and publish the biography that will not only shed light on the unknown riveting aspects of the history of Indian mountaineering but also provide a primary account of Capt. Kohli’s stimulating and inspiring sojourn.
