This year for Father’s Day, I received a very nice joint gift. My daughter, Navreet Kaur Dhillon, is a physician in the Bay Area, and also a very talented artist. My son, Navdeep Singh Dhillon, is a Creative Writing/English Literature lecturer in New York City.
Both my son and daughter collaborated via phone and internet from East and West Coast to create a CD cover for “Heer,” an album I didn’t even know I was making! I had recorded one track giving my own interpretation to Waris Shah’s epic poem, and uploaded it to FaceBook after several people requested me. It was (and still is) available for free download in a blog post I wrote, “Heer Forever Stands Tall (ਗੁੱਝੀ ਰਹੇ ਨਾ ਹੀਰ ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਵਿਚੋਂ )” in addition to Audio Downloads (above in the navigation bar). Many have since asked me to sing some more tracks, which I had said I would do in my own time. Now, it looks like I better get moving!
Below is my daughter’s original drawing:
Original Artwork for CD Cover of "Heer" by Navreet Kaur Dhillon
And below is my son’s contribution. Have a listen to this CD, which currently only has one track, but there will more soon! Let me know what you think!
While you wait for “Heer” to be completed, check out my e-books, available in Punjabi (both Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi scripts) and English. You can also download/listen to completed digital albums/CDs at www.pashaurasinghdhillon.com/audiodownloads
Times come around and the revolutionaries of yesterday become legendary symbols and potential peacemakers for the future. One of the most such legendary figures of the Palestinian struggle for national liberation is Leila Khaled, who re-visited the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon recently. A refugee herself, Leila was forced to flee Haifa as a 4 year old girl in 1948 and later became the first female member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in 1967. She remains a member in the PFLP Leadership Council and no doubt a potential participant for any lasting peace treaty whenever that happens.
Leila made herself and the Palestinian cause the newspapers headlines, when she first hijacked a TWA plane going from Rome to Athens and landed at the Heathrow London Airport in 1969. This was perhaps the first hijacking of its kind carried out by a young woman ever in the history of aviation to draw to the attention of its global community, an international problem blatantly ignored. Ironically, her cause remains as potent today as it was then 42 years ago. What followed in the Middle East and elsewhere for that matter, relating to this festering saga, directly or indirectly, turned uglier and uglier. Supporting the rights of Palestinians now automatically means being anti Israel and a support for suicide bombings and violence against innocent people, while the fact remains that the Israel has a right to exist and displaced Palestinians need their home and their rights restored. It is eerily similar to how people react to prolonged and polarizing issues of the not-so distant past in Punjab. Land, Language and Water rights in Punjab somehow became relegated to “Sikh issues,” which caused the further partition of Punjab and further loss of culture and Punjabiat. Discussing the grave situation Punjab and its people have been subjected through in the 1980s ending with the horrifying state sponsored massacre of innocent Sikhs in New Delhi, usually ends up being a politicized argument based on religion, and political affiliation.
There are, of course, many poets in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, and English who I have read and been influenced by in some way over the years, but these eleven poets are perhaps the reason I am even a poet today. Their beautiful verses touched my soul from a very young age and helped me make sense of post-partition Punjab, as well as the world around me. It has taken me around 60 years to feel comfortable enough to pay homage to my all time favorite Punjabi poet, Waris Shah. This is my rendition of one part of his epic tragic love story,”Heer.” This particular scene is when Ranjha makes the difficult decision to leave Takhat Hazara.
Classic Punjabi Poets
Sultan Bahu (1628-1691) wrote in Punjabi and the Persian language, but is much more well known for his Punjabi poetry. What separates him from many other poets of his time (and indeed of any time) is that his verses are sung in a variety of genres associated with Sufi music.
One of the questions I am often asked about is something that confuses many people: what are the various terms in Punjabi poetry? People have this misconception that Punjabi poetry is not at par with poetry from other languages in the region, such as Urdu or Hindi. It has an incredibly long history and is as complicated as any other form of literature. There is also a misconception that Punjabi is not a poetic language. What this is based on, I am not sure, but if this were true, at over 70 years old, I would have found another language to sing and write my poetry in by now!
Like many other ancient languages, Punjabi has evolved through various stages and Punjabi poetry is perhaps as old as Punjab’s Indus Valley civilization. It has beautiful and complex ballads both from the past and contemporary Punjabi poetry can easily be compared to verses from Shakespearean sonnets, traditional Japanese haikus, or modern “free verse” forms of poetry, including Spoken Word. Stalwarts from the past have contributed significantly to Punjabi poetry like Waris Shah, Sultan Bahu, Bullhe Shah, Chandar Bhan and Ali Haidar amongst many others. Bhai Vir Singh, Puran Singh. Mohan Singh and Amrita Pritam are considered luminaries who pioneered the new era in Punjabi Poetry. Properly defining the different styles and forms found in Punjabi poetry is an impossible task for someone who is not a literary historian. I have never taken a poetry class, or studied the form in an academic setting. I have read countless poems over the decades and they have all, in some shape of form, influenced my views on life and, of course, on my poetry. Here is Punjabi Poetry at a Glance:
Definitions
The ghazal has its origins in the Arabic language and is traditionally considered a more scholarly form of poetry. It is a collection of couplets that embody a single thought or subject. A couplet is known as a sher. The plural of a sher is an ashaar(s). A ghazal contains 5-15 ashaars and follows the rules of matla, maqta, behr, kaafiyaa and radif.
Here is an example of a sher from Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s poem, “ਮਾਏ ਨੀ ਮਾਏ”/ Mae Ni Mae :
ਮਾਏ ਨੀ ਮਾਏ/ Mae Ni Mae
ਮੈਂ ਇਕ ਸ਼ਿਕਰਾ ਯਾਰ ਬਣਾਇਆ/ Mai ik shikra yaar banalia
There are many subcategories of a ghazal and the rules that govern its definition can get very complex. For example, a ghazal is an arrangement of lines whereby the first two lines rhyme with each other which in turn rhyme with the fourth, sixth, eighth and so forth. Each couplet conveys a complete message and may be interconnected to continue a theme. I told you it was confusing!
Any poem which does not pass the criteria to be considered a ghazal is called a kavita in Punjabi and a nazm in Urdu.
For a more in-depth look at the intricacies of the ghazal and many of the terms surrounding it, check out this article, “What is a Ghazal?”
Free Audio Download of me singing “Heer: Ranjha Leaves Takht Hazara” (a-capella)
“Heer forever stands Tall” is something I, and I’m sure many Punjabis take for granted. That Waris Shah’s tragic love story, “Heer” would be counted amongst the most poignant love stories of the world.
But this is not so. Not according to the many lists my son, Navdeep Singh Dhillon, who teaches English literature at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, sent me.
A few weeks ago, I was preparing a radio talk on folklore literature for the Punjab News and Views Program Radio Talk Show, presented on KBIF900AM, in Fresno California. It is a discussion program in Punjabi for our central valley family of Punjabi listeners, which I co-host each Sunday between 3.00- 4.00PM. I asked Navdeep if there was a list of famous love stories in literature and folklore revered worldwide. He immediately sent me several lists. And surprisingly, while some of them mentioned some Indian love stories, none of them even mentioned Heer-Ranjha, or any other Punjabi love story. But William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was at the top of most of these lists.
Yesterday evening, I was invited to say a few words and present the Moving Image Slideshow of my poem, “Dheeaan: Daughters” for Jakara Movement’s first Ladoos: Pink and Blue Lohri Celebration at the Sikh Center of the Pacific Coast in Selma, California. I have been very impressed with the strides that the next generation of Sikhs have made through Jakara Movement, which is made up entirely of Sikh youths. The story of why I even wrote this poem can be read here at Kavita Di Kahani. Below are the Music Slideshow (with translation) and the downloadable audio version.
Lohri is still erroneously thought of as a celebration of the birth of a son. And that somehow, the birth of a daughter is not worthy of a celebration, or the distributing of ladoos. I have a son and a daughter, as well as two grand-daughters. I cannot understand how anyone can look at the birth of a child and say that one is “better” than the other. So, while I was a little uneasy about eating a blue ladoo, I was willing to try it, despite it being bad for my cholesterol.
There were many young and very young members of the congregation, so I was very pleased when they all sat attentively listening to me speak, and watched my Moving Image Slideshow set to my voice. The occasion was to celebrate the birth of newborn boys and girls in the Fresno area collectively as a community, especially including those older girls whose parents had not been able to celebrate Lohri at their birth for one reason or another.
A
A
A
A
A A few days back I was invited by one of my friends to attend a dinner party he helped arrange to honor a promising legislator from Punjab. The dinner party took place in Fresno the uncrowned capital of California. Fresnans of the Punjabi community are unique in welcoming politicians of all parties with equal zeal and affection. Although weary of unkept promises to the NRIs by visiting politicians from Punjab in the past and not so good news from near and dear ones back home, they still appear to be ever so anxious to hear any leader big or small, in power or in an opposition party from Punjab tell them what he or she has to say. They love to share their concerns and ask questions in the hope of learning something positive or expecting something new. Any news giving them the hope that Punjab is not going down the tube.
Over the years, I have attended many such gatherings, and the questions posed this time were ones I have often heard over and over covering topics from rude treatment meted out by the Indian Consul General office in San Francisco for getting visas, rampant corruption, brain drain by mass exodus of youth in hopelessness leaving Punjab by whatever means; drugs, unemployment, farmer indebtedness and suicides, safety of NRI life and property in Punjab, and everything in between.
Before getting excited to make resolutions for the New Year 2011, my son Navdeep Singh Dhillon advised me to take a good look at the year that passed. Why there is no word that fits as well as ‘fatherly advice’ when it comes from my son, I wonder! Looking back on positive points, all in all year 2010 had been a reasonably productive year. Some very big strides have been made in community matters, including Punjabi promotion in elementary schools within the California school system.
Last Monday I had an eye appointment with Dr. Moors, my eye doctor for a regular check up. As I was getting up of the big chair to leave after getting his report, he shook my hand and wished me Merry Christmas and then abruptly changed his wording to “Happy Holidays” adding “ You don’t celebrate Christmas do you”? “Of course, I do Dr. Moors,” I said. “Sikhs celebrate all good things.” Dr. Moors gave a broad smile showing all his gold fillings and walked away to the next examination room.
On the drive home from my appointment, I started thinking about our conversation, and what Christmas means to me, as an American, as a Sikh, and more importantly, as a human being. There are people who fall on hard times due to a variety of reasons and need a helping hand, and that is what I like about the spirit of Christmas. It is one that has a universal appeal, not just relegated to Christianity or Catholicism. In England, this spirit is extended a day after Christmas, on Boxing Day, when those who are in a position to do so, offer those less fortunate what they can, traditionally in boxes. This can come in the form of food, clothing, or money.
Bhai Kanhaiya giving water without discrimination
This spirit of generosity towards your fellow human beings is one of the core beliefs in Sikhi and known as Seva, which literally translates to “selfless service.” Bhai Kanhaiya, a disciple of the tenth Sikh Guru, was, in a sense the predecessor of the modern ambulance. He was often seen serving water to wounded soldiers on both sides, and civilians alike during the Battle of Anandpur Sahib in 1704. When other soldiers complained, he was questioned by the tenth Guru himself, who asked whether it was true that he was providing drinking water to the Mughals, the enemy. And Bhai Kanhaiya replied that it was true, but he added, “I saw no Mughal or Sikh on the battlefield. I only saw human beings.” The Guru was pleased with this answer and let him continue in this way.
The other day I was reading a fascinating article in The Economist called One Nation,with Aunt Susan. With so much of the news these days highlighting how our political affiliations or religious leanings divide us, it was refreshing to hear about how our religious diversity is a “powerful source of American unity.” The article discusses the latest work of two social scientists, Robert Putnam and David Campbell from Harvard University and the University of Notre Dame, respectively. Their focus is on “the unifying force” of religion.
Tanmit Singh of G.N.E.
My son, Navdeep Singh Dhillon, teaches Writing and Literature at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the world where people from virtually every race and religion can be seen. A month or so ago, he showed the class several images, one of those was an image of a turbaned and bearded man for an assignment on identity, and surprisingly every single one of his students thought he was Muslim. They were equally surprised to find out that the man, Tanmit Singh, was a) American b) Sikh, not Muslim c) a hip-hop artist!
Despite the misplaced anger and grief some fellow Americans have had towards other Americans of other faiths, particularly after September 11, I have always felt that America, at its core, is a nation that embraces diversity. So I found the question posed in the article very interesting: “Having intense religious beliefs but belonging to many different faiths and denominations as Americans do, could in theory produce an explosive combination. Why doesn’t it? Ask the authors, Messrs Putnam and Campbell.”
Pashaura Singh Dhillon is a poet and singer based in the Central Valley of California. He writes and sings in Punjabi about a variety of social issues ranging from human rights to the environment, and Sikh philosophy. He is the author of a collection of poetry, Diva Bale Sumundaron Paar (The Lamp Still Burns Across the Sea) and is currently a radio host in Fresno for Punjab News and Views. In addition to live performances, his poems have been featured on television programs, online media sites, and published in leading newspapers and magazines both in the United States and abroad. He is also a radio host with KBIF 900 AM where he is on air every Sunday from 3-4pm.
This year for Father’s Day, I received a very nice joint gift. My daughter, Navreet Kaur Dhillon, is a physician in the Bay Area, and also a very talented artist. My son, Navdeep Singh Dhillon, is a Creative Writing/English Literature lecturer in New York City.
The other day I was reading a fascinating article in 
Pashaura Singh Dhillon is a poet and singer based in the Central Valley of California. He writes and sings in Punjabi about a variety of social issues ranging from human rights to the environment, and Sikh philosophy. He is the author of a collection of poetry, Diva Bale Sumundaron Paar (The Lamp Still Burns Across the Sea) and is currently a radio host in Fresno for Punjab News and Views. In addition to live performances, his poems have been featured on television programs, online media sites, and published in leading newspapers and magazines both in the United States and abroad. He is also a radio host with KBIF 900 AM where he is on air every Sunday from 3-4pm.