Female gurbani singers are giving a cool twist to traditional kirtans
- Sneha Bhura
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM Mar 8, 2023, 07:02 IST IST
Jasleen Kaur Monga’s renditions of ‘Chaupai Sahib’ and ‘Gobindey Mukandey’ have notched up millions of views on YouTube but her proudest moment as a gurbani singer came last month when she was invited to lead a kirtan in the historic Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi. “I was the only female singing there. This doesn’t happen. I feel blessed,” says the 29-year-old who has a performance slated in Dubai soon.
The holy scriptures of Sikhism have always espoused gender equality. The official code of conduct, or the Sikh rehat maryada, does not place any gender bar on performing kirtans inside a gurdwara. Yet, even to this day becoming a professional gurbani kirtan musician (or ragi) in a reputed gurdwara in India is a male prerogative. The Golden Temple in Amritsar continues to ban female kirtan singers (or bibi ragis) inside the main shrine, mostly due to religious orthodoxy. Women-only jathas or singing troupes struggle to take centre-stage at important religious festivals. Australia-based Dya Singh, one of the foremost practitioners Sikh spiritual music, says gender prejudice, though discouraged by the Sikh gurus, is still prevalent in the older generations, especially in Punjab. “But in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, more women are beings encouraged to learn kirtan,” says Singh, who adds that it is women kirtan singers in the West who have been leading the way. Last month, Gurujas Kaur Khalsa, a Los Angeles-based yogini and lead singer in a band, won a Grammy award for her album ‘Mystic Mirror’ based on shabads from the Guru Granth Sahib.
The holy scriptures of Sikhism have always espoused gender equality. The official code of conduct, or the Sikh rehat maryada, does not place any gender bar on performing kirtans inside a gurdwara. Yet, even to this day becoming a professional gurbani kirtan musician (or ragi) in a reputed gurdwara in India is a male prerogative. The Golden Temple in Amritsar continues to ban female kirtan singers (or bibi ragis) inside the main shrine, mostly due to religious orthodoxy. Women-only jathas or singing troupes struggle to take centre-stage at important religious festivals. Australia-based Dya Singh, one of the foremost practitioners Sikh spiritual music, says gender prejudice, though discouraged by the Sikh gurus, is still prevalent in the older generations, especially in Punjab. “But in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, more women are beings encouraged to learn kirtan,” says Singh, who adds that it is women kirtan singers in the West who have been leading the way. Last month, Gurujas Kaur Khalsa, a Los Angeles-based yogini and lead singer in a band, won a Grammy award for her album ‘Mystic Mirror’ based on shabads from the Guru Granth Sahib.
