Bhai Baldeep Singh regaled the audience at the local Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan in Ludhiana in a unique concert for peace and understanding. Organised by the Media Artists under the leadership of Dr. Surjit Patar, the concert saw Baldeep Singh rendering musical compositions of various varieties - from carnatic to Gurbani.
Founder of Anad Conservatory, he not only pioneers in singing but also in the craftsmanship of Sikh musical instruments. He is one of the first Raagis to restore the beautiful taus to its rightful place.
He has devoted his life to documenting traditions and learning from them and then passing them on to the next generation.
About a decade ago, Bhai Baldeep Singh was faced with a major existential dilemma. Having been selected to train as a commissioned officer of the Indian Air Force he was torn between the lure of the aerial flights and the abiding desire to spiritually take off in a humble and yet dogged pursuit of a tradition - the Gurbani Kirtan Parampara - that had been silently haunting him since early childhood.
Making his choice at a relatively young age, he began with the earnestness of a devout learner - meditating the key concepts and exegetical texts, meeting legendary exponents and scholars, going over the Holy Scripture - the Guru Granth Sahib - endlessly. Gradually, the pursuit began to mature and yield fruit. He began to emerge as a compelling presence in the service of the great tradition.
He had the unique opportunity to train under the legendary percussionist, Ustad Bhai Arjan Singh Tarangar (1900-95), and learn the musical values of "raga-naad" and "laya-taal" which have been traditionally used in our kirtan parampara. His training continued under the tutelage of Ustad Mohinder Singh who nurtured his talent with great love and care. Eventually Bhai Baldeep Singh emerged as a leading percussionist and the only exponent today of "jori-pakhawaj" of our glorious tradition.
He accompanied Bhai Avtar Singh Ragi - whose musical repertoire effloresced, yet again, in the deep resonance of these nearly forgotten percussions.
The spiritual power of these percussion instruments has been acknowledged by a maestro like ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar. Bhai Baldeep Singh has had the honour of accompanying him in some of the major Indian concerts. His rendition of these old instruments won him not only rave reviews but ecstatic response as well.
Bhai Baldeep Singh has undergone intensive training in "naad-yoga" and "dhrupad" from Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar for almost a decade. He has also had the opportunity to be closely associated with the Talwandi School of Dhrupad Gayaki and to learn from Ustad M. Hafiz Khan of Lahore.
Bhai Baldeep Singh is also uniquely privileged to belong to the 13th generation of a family of illustrious ragis whose musical origins date back to the time of the great Sikh Gurus. His grand-uncles and teachers, Bhai Gurcharan Singh Raagi and Bhai Avtar Singh Raagi both under their father, legendary Baba Jwala Singh, who is widely revered as a saint-scholar and a prodigious musician of 20th century.
It was under the supervision of his grand-uncles that Bhai Baldeep learnt to authentically render over 500 traditional compositions of the Bani. Some of these ancient compositions are said to have been conceived by the Sikh Gurus themselves. Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Gurcharan Singh published the notations of these compositions in two volumes in 1977 at the invitation of Punjabi University, Patiala.
Bhai Baldeep Singh has also committed himself to the task of bringing the once-active string instruments back into the living tradition of the kirtan parampara. One of the instruments he has revived is the vintage "taus". He not only makes the instrument himself but has lately played the same in the company of Bhai Avtar Singh Raagi. The instrument dating back to the sixth Sikh Master used to be played till about 50 years back as an accompanying instrument with/by legends like Baba Jwala Singh, Bhai Batan Singh, Bhai Dal Singh and Bhai Moti.
Rooted in the tradition of Sikh scholarship and gurbani tradition, Bhai Baldeep Singh is a sought after teacher and musician. He has travelled widely to Europe, North America, Singapore and Australia, holding numerous workshops and giving concerts.
-from WSN and Kanwar Ranvir Singh