Bhai Balbir Singh, the Icecream-wale Babaji to my boys, Luigi Hari Tehel & Leonardo Amar Dhyan Singh..!
Photo 1998 by Bhai Baldeep Singh at his Nizamuddin residence.

Bhai Balbir Singh Ragi has been chosen for the coveted National Sangeet Natak Akademi award for his contribution to Gurbani Kirtan. He is also the first Ragi from the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar tradition to be honoured with this award. The previous recipients of this award were Dr. Jagir Singh (2002), Professor Kartar Singh (2008) and Ustad Harbhajan Singh Namdhari (2010).

Maharaj Baba Jagjit Singh, Satguru of the Namdhari Darbar, Bhai Sahib Bhai Gurcharan Singh Ragi and Professor Kartar Singh were honoured with Akademi’s highest 2011 Tagore Fellow (Ratna) award.

Bhai Balbir Singh.
Photo courtesy Gurudwara Gur Gian Prakash, Jawadhi Kalan, Ludhiana.

Please read the following link for related new in the media:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/For-the-first-time—SNA-Award-for-a-Hazoori-Ragi-of-Darbar-Sahib/articleshow/17780207.cms?intenttarget=no

Brief bio-data indicating the achievements made in the field:
Bhai Balbir Singh Ragi was born in his maternal village Mrigindpura near Bhikhiwind (Amritsar), Punjab on March 23, 1933 to Mata Prasan Kaur and Bhai Santa Singh. He was the eldest of the four brothers. His father Bhai Santa Singh was a famous tabla/pakhawaj exponent who taught at the Gurmat Vidyalaya in Taran Tarn (Amritsar). Bhai Balbir Singh received his initial training in Gurbani Kirtan from his father, his grandfather Bhai Kundan Singh, and great-grandfather Bhai Hira Singh. Bhai Balbir Singh began learning singing at the tender age of four. He made his debut at the Darbar Sahib, Taran Taran at the tender age of seven where he sang two compositions. Bhai Balbir Singh accompanied his father who traveled extensively to Benaras, Lucknow, Gwalior, Pune, Calcutta and Delhi for music conferences. He was able to listen to and seek blessings from some of the finest names in Indian classical music.
He was fortunate to learn dhrupad from the legendary Pandit Nathu Ram, a student of Ustad Bhai Boota Singh and Ustad Baba Shardha Singh. Bhai Balbir Singh learnt gurbani kirtan from his elder uncle Bhai Sohan Singh Ragi of Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar. He also has been fortunate to study from the legendary Ustad Bhai Arjan Singh Tarangar, Pandit Krishnarao Pandit (khayal), Ustad Habibuddin Khan (tabla) and Gyani Gyan Singh Almast (jal-tarang). He is also a very talented dilruba player having studied from his father. Bhai Balbir Singh also considers Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Pandit Dilip Chandra Vedi as his mentors. He has received many honours and titles namely; Shiromani Ragi awards from Indian Council for Sikh Affairs (1983), Kendriya Singh Sabha (1987), Chief Khalsa Diwan (1991), Vismaad Naad Ludhiana (1991), Sant Sujan Singh (1994), Bhai Mardana Yadgari Award (1995), President of India Hon’ Shri K R Narayan (1996), Punjab Languages Department (2001) from the Honorable Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Prakash Singh Badal, and Bhai Batan Singh Memorial Award (1997), Sant Sarwan Singh Gandharva Award (2001),  S.G.P.C., Amritsar (2004), Bhai Mardana Gurmat Sangeet Vidyalaya and Missionary Society, Midland, UK (2006), Bhai Dilbagh Singh Kirtaniya Samrat Award as well as Bhai Nand Lal Goya Sanman by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (2010).
Bhai Balbir Singh sang gurbani kirtan at the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar for 36 years from 1955 till 1991. He remembers nearly three thousand shabads of the Gurubani and can sing in over two hundred ragas. Since, his retirement he continues to sing throughout the country and recorded nearly 30 albums. Bhai Balbir Singh is one of the last remaining links to the original gurubani kirtan parampara, of the Golden Temple, Amritsar.

Years ago, when I was introduced to Mimmo, his story was chillingly similar to mine. As I had made a major transition from what I actually wanted to do this life time so sickeningly attracted to the flying machines to instead become a student and eventually a custodian of the gurus’ traditions, he was an engineer who got smitten by the art of making gut strings. Our similarities did not begin or end there – as I was meeting the last luthier (instrument maker), the last percussion maestro, the last people with the memory of the songs of the gurus – he was met with the last living exponent of gut string making in Napoli. He has recipes of how they transformed dead animals guts to live and vibrant tannd (gut-string), on beautifully handcrafted and shaped musical instruments, from the 12th century, the medieval and modern eras. The masters throughout were such romantics! The sixth string on the rabab is a master stroke by Mimmo – what would I be without my friends so endearing and precious!
In order to specify the strings of the rabab I have made for Harbhajan Kaur Khalsa of Millis, MA I visited Mimmo’s factory the day before (and yes, I missed the boring Portugallo-Spagna semi-finale) on June 27, 2012. I also met with master classical guitarist Andrea Ferigo of the Conservatorio Di Vicenza who also holds a Diploma in Sitar and also plays the instrument Sarod. Here are some images post-produced by Manpreet Singh:

The Rababa is sounding fantastic (kite nazar na lagg jae 😉 may it not attract an evil eye!) and will hopefully fly comfortably to be with her rightful owner on July 1, 2012.

On May 29, 2012, on my way back from a meeting at Punjabi University, Patiala, I stopped by to meet blacksmith Sardar Tirlochan Singh of Doraha. His name had been recommended by one of my tabla students, Hansbir Singh and a pakhawaj/dholak student, Amrik Singh who have recently settled at my residence in Delhi to pursue their studies. Tirlochan Singh makes chimta-s for the kirtankar-s of the Nanaksar Samprada (tradition) which are relatively heavier than the chimte that are available off the shelf. Although I found his workmanship little crude but he is a fine chap. He eventually placed and refused to accept money for the chimta, minus the shakers, that I chose. I have invited him to visit the Anad Conservatory site at Qila, Sultanpur Lodhi where I want to develop a series of high quality chimte.

My crazy interns, two wild kids from Vasant Valley School – Himmat and Anmol, drank more than 8 glasses of juices, rejecting half of them (and they haven’t fallen sick) while I engaged in a conversation with Tirlochan Singh. I suspect that the glass of juice they sent for me was the one they had rejected 😉 Here are a few images from the visit to the workshop of Tirlochan Singh, a blacksmith.