INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

that propagandists from Patna Sahib used to go around in the villages to offer training
to boys who were studying Gurmukhi in the local gurdwaras. As I was told, the
religious education at Patna Sahib was wide-ranging and adjusted to the ability and
talent of the individual student: in addition to readings from different Sikh texts and
oral practices in enunciation and intonation of gurbani hymns, the curriculum included
studies in Sikh history, vocal and musical exercises in kirtan, and practical
training in performing the different worship acts in the Sikh liturgies. To be prepared
for a future career in the gurdwara, the apprentices were expected to achieve proficiency
in a number of arts.
In addition there are several Sikh music schools, so-called Gurmat Kirtan
Vidhyale, in the different parts of Northern India for students with particular interest
in Sikh kirtan. Some of these schools are attached to central Sikh centers, such as the
renowned Gurmat Kirtan Vidhyala at Amritsar and Paonta Sahib, 373 whereas other
private music centers provide education and training of Sikh music under various
degrees of formality. Depending on the talent of the individual student, courses in
Sikh devotional music at any of the educational institutions may span over three to
five years, after which the student will receive a diploma testifying eligibility to the
profession of a ragi. A common method for pursuing performance skill among local
Sikh musicians was to be to study Sikh texts through the gurdwara and simultaneously
learn classical North Indian music, folk tunes, and styles under the guidance of
local musicians in their home area. In these cases a ragi examination awarded by any
of the Sikh educational institutions often functions as a license to generate work opportunities,
even if the practical training in music will continue for years thereafter.
Apart from institutionalized training it is common to serve apprenticeship under
a senior performer as a disciple. Personal biographies of performers working in
the gurdwaras quite often contain elements of senior preceptors who have served as
sources of inspiration and molded their art during years of training. A senior granthi
in Varanasi originating from Ludhiana, Bhai Sukhdev, recalled how a Nirmala sant
encouraged him to learn kirtan and gurbani in his childhood. After completing secondary
school at the age of fifteen he obtained work at a factory producing spare parts
for bicycles. In the evenings he used to take private lessons in Sikh kirtan from a blind
ragi performer and at the same time learnt the art of gurbani recitation from a giani.
After several years of training he was given the opportunity to perform in a ragi
group and toured around India for about four years. On the way back to Punjab from
a program in Calcutta in 1977 the group passed by the gurdwaras in Varanasi, which
at that time was in need of musicians. After a kirtan performance, highly appraised by
the community, it was decided that Bhai Sukhdev should return to Varanasi for an
appointment the following year. Initially he worked as an assistant granthi in Varanasi
and after four years was promoted to head granthi, a post he still occupied at the
time of my fieldwork. In the end of the 1980s Bhai Sukhdev himself became a tutor
373
Other musical institutes mentioned by my interlocutors were Shahig Sikh Missionary College
and the Central Khalsa Jitim, both of which are also located at Amritsar.
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008