Kirtan: Stop Thinking & Start Listening
We often hear and agree with the phrase, ‘music heals.’ But have we considered why or how? Or even if it’s true? Does music really heal? There are about 120,000 songs released every day, according to Nashville-based Luminate, a company that tracks music industry data. That is a lot of music! Yet, we are all collectively suffering as a society and individually. Where is the missing link?
Currently, the music therapy that the West/European world teaches and accredits does not begin to match the treasure the Sikh Guru’s left for mankind. The Sikh gurus’ approach was to use sound as a means of expressing your emotions, feelings, and moods. Music is only the by-product of the conversation between your mind and soul being expressed through sound. The current common Western/European approach is focused more on music being used as a tool for diverting the current emotional state for temporary relief, whereas Sikh musical therapy is focused on dealing with the root cause precisely with sound and expression.
As Sikhs, we are proud of the musical heritage of the Sikhs. All Sikhs listen to and/or sing Kirtan. But why Kirtan? What is Kirtan, and how is this a tool for our emotional and mental health? The vessel that carries the Shabad Guru, is sound. The Sikh Guru’s used sound to create Raags. In the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS), there are a total of 60 Raags, 32 being created by Guru Sahib (30 created by Guru Arjan Dev ji and 2 by Guru Tegh Bahadur ji) and the other 28 pre-existing raags from Ancient India. Raags are both a science and an art designed to help people precisely express their emotions through sound. Raags have specific emotional associations and understanding them can deepen our appreciation of this ancient musical tradition.
For instance, Raag Bilavl- offers a ‘dose of joy’ and in listening to a shabad in this Raag it helps me express my joy and feel heard. Simultaneously, it also sobers my mind so that I remain focused and not lose my grounding. This Raag is specifically concocted to create this mood.
Just like there are 26 letters in the English Alphabet, the emotional language of sound has 22 basic emotions, also known as 22 microtones. These sound currents (microtones) are universally experienced which have emotional attributes and allow one to create countless Raags. In ancient India, the great yogis and sages came up with this science and art to help facilitate communication between the left and right brain, aka mind and soul, heart.
Creating a Raag is like making a chocolate cake in that you need to have the proper ingredients, the right amount of each ingredient, and know the best technique to combine the ingredients for the end result of a delicious chocolate cake. This is also how Raags are made - with the ingredients including an array of emotions we experience as people. Each Raag instructs you how much to use of each emotion to end up with the specific “Raag.” Going back to Raag Bilavl - it invokes the mood of ‘extreme happiness and joy’ because of the emotional ingredients, alongside the right quantity and precise technique used.
In this way, Raags are universal and may just offer us our own music therapy for different life situations. So note what you are feeling by pausing and attuning to your feelings. If you are able to express your feelings know there will be Raag for that emotion to carry you through. Below are resources I hope you will explore!
I recommend a few resources below to begin your journey in exploring Kirtan “outside the box” of colonial and entertainment perspective.
Resources:
Watch The documentary: The Sikh Musical Heritage: The Untold Story
About the Author:
Preetinder Singh has been practicing Sikh music for nineteen years. He started his journey at Guru Angad Institute of Sikh Studies. He later went under the apprenticeship of Prof. Surinder Singh to further his knowledge of Sikh music and its link to mental health. He works with clients as an Emotional coach using what he has learned in the study of psychology and Sikh Music. Check out his work, and follow him on Soundcloud.