Interview with Amrit Kaur

Please tell us a little bit about yourselves to begin with? What are your hobbies? What do you do to chillout? What do you get up to in a typical week?

‘Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh! I'm 22 just graduated from uni, in Disaster Management & Technology, yes it's a very DIFFERENT course to say the least but one which was very interesting! It involved studying the impacts of natural and man-made disasters and then looking at aspects such as social, economic impacts etc, and at prevention schemes, emergency planning, emergency response. So I'm hoping now to work along the humanitarian route. Getting bored yet?! Should I carry on?! lol.. :)

As for my hobbies, I enjoy singing, basically picking up the vaaja (harmonium) at any spare moment I have and singing kirtan. I love it! I enjoy sports such as basketball and tennis and then all the usual stuff; socializing, reading, and meeting sangat at any opportunity. To chill out I enjoy taking my car and going for a nice drive, which is quite relaxing, and of course listening and singing kirtan along the way... can't be done without!:) I'm based in walsall at the moment staying with my sister as I studied at uni in Birmingham, so I have gotten to know a lot of sangat here in Birmingham and life never gets boring here. There is always one youth programme or another which I can go to, so this is the best thing about being in Birmingham. Being a student, typically, I've had a lot of time on my hands during the past 3 yrs! So in a typical week apart from going to lectures and all the hardwork I put into my study :) I took every opportunity to spend time with sangat and go to all the programmes as well as being involved with the Sikh Society at Birmingham Uni. I would go to the Gurdwara often too, popularly to Soho rd Niskham Sevak Jatha Gurdwara, Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick and also to Bebe Nanaki Gurdwara, Rookery rd. At the moment I'm in a transition period where I'm unfortunately getting ready to go back home to my parents in Slough after 3 yrs here in Birmingham, a place which I don't want to leave!:( So a new phase in my life will now begin as I go back home, my career! I will have to look towards getting a job and starting my career, which I guess is an exciting prospect...!

You have been brought up in a GurSikh family since you were born and have always had the Sikh influence in your life. How do you feel that has impacted you looking at yourself now?

Yes since birth I have been brought up in a Gursikh family, which I am thankful to Waheguru ji for. I believe it has truly helped me in that, Gursikhi living was my way of life and it was the norm for me. My parents taught me a lot about Sikhi. When I was young, I remember my dad always telling me a different sakhi on Sikhism every night before I went to bed, so as I grew older, Gursikhi jeevan was my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. The sakhiyaa were always something that made me aware of being strong in Sikhi, especially learning about all the Kurbaniyaa of Singhs and Singhnees during and since the Guru's times and I feel we owe it to them, because if it wasn't for them we wouldn't be where we are today. I had the opportunity of always being with sangat and very spiritual Gursikhs through the link of my parents, whether it be local sangat, or at various programmes, and this helped a lot because having Gursikh sangat is very important. I was also encouraged along with my other siblings to learn kirtan and this in turn helped me pick up and read Gurbani very easily. My parents spoke Punjabi at home, and so I am able to speak Punjabi and read and write as I also went to Punjabi school. Knowing Punjabi/Gurmukhi I feel is very important in terms of linking - religiously and culturally. I feel very privileged and humbled by the fact that I am born in a Gursikh famiy, because a lot of youth these days who are getting into Sikhi may not have had the same privileges and have a bit more of a struggle learning about Sikhi at a later age. So I hope Guru ji blesses us all in being better Sikhs each day and keeping up the Utshah to always be learning and praising His name endlessly.

You are an inspiring keertani to many, especially girls around the country, as there seems to be a lack of Singhnia compared to Singhs, who can sing keertan. What has motivated you to learn keertan? What has inspired you? Where have you learnt from?
 
Firstly, I don't personally think there are a lack of female kirtanee, to my knowledge there are loads and are kirtanee of a high standard! but no-one gives us time or acknowledges us as much!lol :) I think it has become the norm', so to speak, to only know of Singh kirtanee-aa more so than bibia, I don't know why this is. Maybe someone else could please enlighten me on this one?! :) I think us girls need to project some Singhni-Power and bombard programmes! lol

My sisters who are much older than me used to learn and sing kirtan, so that was my initial inspiration and also we'd go to all night monthly rehnsbai-kirtan programmes. This was an inspiration to me also. I always felt that I wanted to sing kirtan too. So from an early age I used to go to our local Gurdwara sahib and learn from the Granthis there. Also, my sister would teach me at home too. With gradual practice, I was able to listen to Kirtan cassettes and copy the tunes and the shabads from them on, on the vajaa. I also learnt from Professor Surinder Singh (Raj Academy) for about 3 yrs before I came to uni. I learnt the basics of Gurmat Sangeet from him and also learnt the dil ruba for about 2 yrs but am very much out of practice now! I generally would listen to various types of music also, which increased my knowledge and interest in sangeet too. I would always be the music class maestro at my school! LOL! We would have music concerts and I would participate in playing the instruments and also taking in my vajaa and dil ruba and performing there. But for me it has always been about Kirtan!:)

More recently, you released “Calmness In The Rush” – a Gurbani keertan CD. This was quite a success particularly here in the UK? How did you come about being involved in such a project and why? What made it different from other artistes who have also gone down the same path?

I thank Waheguru ji for giving me such an opportunity in my life to initiate such a project. With His kirpa, it has been very successful. It actually started in Canada 2004 when I was there for a family wedding. I met this uncle, Tarsem Singh Sahota, who heard me sing a shabad at my cousins wedding and he said I should record some shabads, and that he had a studio contact in England if I was interested. Opportunities like this don't come everyday! so I thought this would be a good chance to do a little bit of seva and produce a cd of shabads for the youth, specifically the non-amritdhari youth. I got in touch with the contact number the uncle ji had given me and it happened to be Kumar Amrit based in Southall. He was well known from the 1980's Amrit Group. They happily agreed to help me in the project. His team composed the music and all the recording was done in his studio. I wanted the cd to be different, I guess something which would appeal to non-amritdhari Sikh-Punjabi youngsters. So I thought I would incorporate some different styles and genres of music. Also, to give the cd some extra content, we thought it was essential to add some explanatory commentary on what the shabads mean and how Gurbani can help a person in their day-to-day life. The theme of the cd was based on the various stages in life such as birth, youth, middle age and death. It was to put across what a Gursikh's character should be like and what various situations may affect a person in their life because i believe with the recitation and listening to Gurbani one would have the strength to overcome life's pressures. A booklet with English translations and romanised Gurbani was another addition to help in understanding the shabads better. More info on this cd can be viewed on www.calmnessintherush.com. All in all with Guru ji's kirpa the final product turned out well and the response was very positive from the youth who heard it and purchased it. Some youth who had never listened to kirtan and Gurbani before listened to this cd and it was a turning point for them. It veered them to read more Gurbani and listen to other shabads and kirtan itself, which I believe even if it helped one single youth, then the project was definitely worth it. So you can imagine that it was great to hear that a lot of youth were positively affected by this cd, and I'm glad I got the chance to do such seva.

You just recently attended Khalsa Camp this year. How was it?

Yes Khalsa Camp was brilliant very uplifting and inspirational! Camps are always good to have the company of sangat and feel the Sikh spirit! I went to Sikhi Camp in July as well, and that was equally as brilliant. I encourage all youth to go to these major camps and learn more about Sikhi and to experience the life style of a Gursikh. It gives you a chance to meet sangat and to do seva of the Guru. The general sangat should support these camps in whatever way they can, because the sevadaars put in a lot of effort and time to organize these camps. I can't wait for next summer!

Why do you believe camps are SO important for youths?

Like I said, I think youth should be encouraged to go to these Gurmat camps, because how else are we goin to learn and experience Sikhi in a practical way? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but their level of organized teaching and activities don't seem to be done on such a scale by our local Gurdwaras. The Gurdwareh have the finance to carry out such projects, which is where the real teaching, ideally, should take place. But the Sikh youth organize these camps themselves for the youth because they believe it is essential and of course they want to. Again, please do forgive me if you think the above statement is out of line, these are my personal views from my own experiences. I believe all youth should take time out to attend these special camps!

In your opinion, what's the best way for youth to learn about and enter Sikhi.

Essentially I believe, everyone should endeavour to learn, read and listen to as much Gurbani as possible. At the end of the day, this is our Guru ji and if we can't know what Guru sahib is telling us, then reading all other books is pointless. Alongside this, doing your own research is very important too. We have all the resources, the internet, books, Gurmat camps etc. We are lucky, we have everything in our lap. We should make most use of these resources to gain knowledge and further advance our Sikhi and cleanse our soul. Youth should start by reading the life stories and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and understand the basic teachings of Sikhi first. When entering Sikhi, it is probably most always through sangat, so I believe we should always be there for our fellow non-amritdhari brothers and sisters to educate them and guide them to learn about Sikhi also and what our Gurus gave to us. Our history to date is there to learn and understand why the Guru's did what they did, why and how Gursikhs sacrificed their life for their faith and what it means to have such faith.

Your interview will be potentially read by hundreds of thousands of Sikhs around the world! Do you have any special message you would like to give them?

Just to respect one another and have love for all. These days people seem to be very quick to judge about anything. So please just always search for your own answer instead of always following the crowd. I guess I mean this more in terms of how people judge eachother. We should have mutual respect for all and we need to stick together if we are ever to achieve anything. For our Sikhi to flourish we have to do a lot of naam simran and seva, so lets all make real efforts in doing this. May Guru ji give us all the strength, courage and faith to walk His path. We should always help a person in need whenever we can, even if its something really small. Every bit counts, and it may make all the difference to the other person. It's all about daya - compassion.I love you all out there!:) This is not something we should only do on a "Sikhi level" - its something we should do on a humanitarian level. Remember our only Guru is Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Shabad Guru, no-one (person) else. We should pray to be at Guru ji's charan... always.

Amrit Kaur Jee, congratulations and thank you very much for taking part in our Youth Of The Month project. We hope to hear a lot more from you, and pray that Maharaj continues to bestow His amazing grace on you, which He clearly has done since you were born.

Ahh, thanks for the sweet words, but all greatness is Guru ji's only, and I can only do ardas to Guru ji that I become a better Sikh each day. ‘Kirpa karau mere deen ke daateh, Mera gun avgun naa bicharau koyee', ‘Raaj na chahau, mukat naa chahau man preet charan kamlareh'. May Guru ji bless us all and to keep us in his service and to do seva of the panth and the whole of humanity. Take Care everyone! :)

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
 

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer the above questions,
and we hope you can continue to carry the torch of Sikhi and inspire others alike.