Expensive Ragi Jathas

[Lionchild]

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

Kirtan should be done with love, not intent on makeing money or to get well "known", sure it's good to get donations or tribute, but making a living by doing kirtan seems a little risque... Why not have a back up job to pay for expenses and other things??

[MAX]

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||

Awesome passage, dude.

[gss]

You have to think these Ragis could have made much more money if they had used there talent of singing/musical instrumentation in Indian songs, Bollywood, etc.. but instead they chose to do kirtan. How many of us would give up our high paying jobs to become fulltime raagis? Probabaly none of us. So they do deserve respect rather than all this unjustifiable criticism. In terms of them getting a part-time job, thats an invalid suggestion, as being able to do kirtan involves long hours of practice and dedication

[Pakandi baba]

My favourite Kirtani are....

Bhai Balwinder Singh Rangila (Love the Katha)

Bhai Harbans Singh Jagadhriwale

Bhai Davinder Singh Sodhi

Bhai Qurikbal (sp) Singh

Sant Niranjan Singh Ji

Sant Anoop Singh Ji

Bhai Chaman Singh

Bhai Davinder Singh Australiawale (he uses different instuments)

Bibi Snatnam Kaur

[Born to serve the Lord]

WJKK WJKF

People who do Kirtan on stage should do it out of their own sharda and piaar. Most people nowadays, just do kiratan now do it out of laalach(greed). It is actually true that raagi jathe demand thousands of pounds, I know this out of my own experiences. I, myself do Kirtan but every penny I receive I put in Gurdwara Golak or if I go 2 India I give it 2 charities that help children and Pingalvarhe. Bhul Chuk Maaf Karni. Forgive me for my mistakes, agen I am only 12.

WJKK WJKF

[Jaswant Singh]

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

You say you know this first hand - have you actually spoken to the organisers of the Atam Ras 2006, Bhai Harbans Singh Jagadriwala & Bhai Balwinder Singh Rangila yourself and actually asked what's what?

Your comment about Rangila ji coming to Coventry a few years ago and making a big fuss over their £2K fee, which the committee refused to pay is completely is heresay...

Before brushing all Kirtanees with the same brush remember GURU JI HELD KIRTANEE IN HIGH ESTEEM, WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE. GO TO THE GURUDWARA, LISTEN TO THE SHABADS AND TAKE HOME GURU JI KI BANI.

[Golee Maro]

WJKK WJKF

People who do Kirtan on stage should do it out of their own sharda and piaar. Most people nowadays, just do kiratan now do it out of laalach(greed). It is actually true that raagi jathe demand thousands of pounds, I know this out of my own experiences. I, myself do Kirtan but every penny I receive I put in Gurdwara Golak or if I go 2 India I give it 2 charities that help children and Pingalvarhe. Bhul Chuk Maaf Karni. Forgive me for my mistakes, agen I am only 12.

WJKK WJKF

My little veer/bhain,

Do not tell anyone what you do with keertan petaa (donations) you recieve. People percieve it as haumai... hunkaar... pride. Its good you do that but dont tell a soul. Maharaj jaanee jaan han and they know your every actions.

As for keertanis, I believe there are SOME who do keertan out of greed. But I tell you something, the point that someone made earlier, you take keertani like Bhai Niranjan Singh, Harjinder Singh, Satvinder Singh, Anoop Singh and so on... they could make a mint out of doing non-Gurbani, non-faith CD's such as Punjabi folk songs or hindi movies. But they choose not to. They do sewa of the True Guru. Now, the reason why you think these keertani are laalchi is because you see that they ask for certain amount of money but you wont know what they do with it because THEY DO NO BROADCAST IT OUT like you just made the mistake of doing. And they shouldnt tell anyone else either which is why you call them lallchi... just because you dont really REALLY know what they do with their maya.

I do kirtan as well. Now if i took maya every Sunday from Gurdwara or something and people saw me every week taking maya, they will most likely presume its going into my pocket. But what do they know? I could be saving it all to donate somewhere in India. But i dont need to worry about what THEY think or what THEY know. Oh no. I need to worry about what my Guru thinks and what my Guru knows. And i dont need to broadcast to the whole world to let my Guru know. My Guru is omnipresent... all around me... in every inanimate stone... my Guru watches me and my actions.

So please, before you call someone you dont really know something horrific like "laalachi", think twice and ask yourself... "do i REALLY know them to be judging them?"

forgive my mistakes too ji for i am also just a child in my thinking...