Expensive Ragi Jathas

[Pyara]

I don't know! Maybe it's just me...are we making pop star status out of our ragis. I mean someone told me that the established jathas can charge £1500 per diwan that's total gross earnings of £15,000 for over a week. This does not include kirtan peta.

The Gurdwara diwan packs up on the day but are we going to have Guru Ji's darshan or to see our favourate kirtani

This Shabad has got me thinking about selling Gurbani.

Ang 1245

salok mehlaa 1.

Shalok, First Mehl:

Dharig tinaa kaa jeevi-aa je likh likh vaycheh naa-o.

Cursed are the lives of those who read and write the Lord's Name to sell it.

khaytee jin kee ujrhai khalvaarhay ki-aa thaa-o.

Their crop is devastated - what harvest will they have?

sachai sarmai baahray agai laheh na daad.

Lacking truth and humility, they shall not be appreciated in the world hereafter.

akal ayh na aakhee-ai akal gavaa-ee-ai baad.

Wisdom which leads to arguments is not called wisdom.

aklee saahib sayvee-ai aklee paa-ee-ai maan.

Wisdom leads us to serve our Lord and Master; through wisdom, honor is obtained.

aklee parhH kai bujhee-ai aklee keechai daan.

Wisdom does not come by reading textbooks; wisdom inspires us to give in charity.

naanak aakhai raahu ayhu hor galaaN saitaan. ||1||

Says Nanak, this is the Path; other things lead to Satan. ||1||

[Bundha]

Piyara Ji,

I wouldn't beleive all that you hear. Maybe there are some raggies that charge a lot but all I can say is that the average raggi from India who comes to the UK is ROBBED by the Gurdwara committee.

The committee gives that raggies a flat fee - and this is very low, beleive me - and then take all the payta infront of the kirtanees, if this isn't day light robbery I don't know what it !

All the gurdwaras are in on the act, they have grouped together as a cartel and say "this is our terms, accept or go somewhere else" the raggies have not choice, they have to accept.

Raggies leave their families, their children behind and spend months in dingy rooms and paid a pittence just to earn a crust for their beloveds back home................ I say Dhan Dhan those Raggi!

again, there may be some who do get a lot of money but for the majority it is a different story altogether .

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

yeah i have noticed this too. Our local guru ghar just expanded and the babas were sitting around saying that now our gurdwara is big and nice, big time raagi jathas will come, along with more sangat. I told them that people come for sri guru granth sahib ji not for some raagi jatha. they looked at me like they were offended or something.

well i guess punjabi weddings are gonna get more expensive. Jazzy B costs about 20,000 dollars and the raagi jatha costs 3000 dollars.

BTW: there are awesome raagi jathas out there who are true gursikhs and do shabad kirtan out of sharda for sri guru granth sahib ji. As with any instituion, you have your money makers as well. The ones who do it for the money have to be in the minority in my book.

[KharkooSingh]

Fateh!

I think you are refering to the big famous kirtan ragis, like Jagadriwala, Rangila and probably the Atam Ras Group. I think the Atam Ras kirtan costs the Gurdwara £1.5k but they recoup that in Gholak money as the Gurughar packs up big time. I know the Ilford sangat have raised the money to cover the £1.5k cost for the Atam Ras Kirtanis

Rangila came to Ramgharia Gurdwara Coventry a few years ago and a big fuss was made over his £2k fee which the committee refused to pay.

Anyway Money talks. As long as the sangat are willing to give the high ranking ragis are willing to take. I will probably get accused of doing nindya, but I am only telling what I know from first hand sources

[Lionchild]

well i guess punjabi weddings are gonna get more expensive. Jazzy B costs about 20,000 dollars and the raagi jatha costs 3000 dollars.

Hmmm... where has the value of a simple clean and straightfoward event gone too. Why do we need to have big expensive and elaborate functions? I don't get it... people spend big dollars on weddings that are only one day... such a waste...

[novtejsinghkhalsa]

so i guess each jatha is receiving 300 per divan since there are 5 of them.

[Lion(LK)King]

http://www.desicomedy.com/dc/index.php?opt...id=45&Itemid=34

[Golee Maro]

we shouldnt complain about keertani who dedicate their lives to seva of keertan on an international level particularily.

lets say you have a jatha... three in a jatha (typically). They would split the maya three ways. They have to cover costs too of their own - flights, clothing, food, etc and they are also entitled to luxurious items too. Then most of them have families too... wives.. kids... parents? So when you look at their lives in totality, i dont think we should complain too much about them getting so much "donations".

Yes, if someone is minting it totally and creating their own palaces etc, then somethings wrong but otherwise, i think a lot of so-called "commercial keertani" do a lot of good in the world... more than most of us. If they come into fortune, maybe it is in their karam to recieve such fruit of their good deeds?

I praise these keertanee's, the katha parchaariks, these dhadhi's and kavishris of our great panth and pray that they always remain in the highest state of enlightenment. Chardhi kalaa.

Forgive my mistakes

[GABROO KHALISTAN DAH]

keertanis have earn a living also..300bux a pop is not much.

[gss]

somtimes people tend to forget that Gianis and Ragis are people like me and you, they also have families and expenses!