Singer Harpreet Singh
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association
Singer-songwriter Harpreet Singh’s new album Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar 1919) is predicated on well-known Punjabi poet and writer Nanak Singh’s practically 900 strains lengthy poem, Khooni Vaisakhi. The poem described the Jallianwala Bagh bloodbath intimately. It was banned by the British after its publication. Nanak was current on the Bagh on April 13, 1919, as a part of a rally to protest towards the Rowlatt Act, when he collapsed within the stampede throughout the civilian capturing. He regained consciousness and located himself underneath a pile of corpses. The poem was a survivor’s account of the horrific tragedy.
Harpreet’s challenge, which began 5 years in the past, is likely one of the closest to his coronary heart. In 2019, Teamwork Arts’ Sanjoy Roy, launched Harpeet to Nanak Singh’s grandson, Navdeep Suri, who was then India’s Ambassador to the UAE. On the time, Navdeep was planning the launch of his e book Hymns in Blood, an English translation of his grandfather’s Khooni Vaisakhi. He approached Harpreet to set the poetry to music.
Emotional join
With practically 20 years of expertise in musical diversifications of the works of assorted poets, the challenge deeply resonated with him. Additional, having grown up in a Sikh household, he had heard tales of the Jallianwala Bagh bloodbath since childhood, which created a powerful private connection to the e book. “It’s an honour to carry his phrases to life by music,” says Harpreet.
A view of the Flame of Liberty memorial at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.
| Picture Credit score:
NARINDER NANU
Hapreet composed a 10-minute piece from the e book and carried out it on the e book launch on April 13, 2019, marking the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh bloodbath. The response of the viewers was overwhelmingly optimistic, prompting them to take the launch to varied elements of India, the U.Ok., Eire and the UAE, the place the reception was equally enthusiastic. This impressed Harpreet to create a full album that captures the e book’s narrative.
“All seven tracks within the album define the narrative of the e book, focussing on the Jallianwala Bagh bloodbath and the occasions surrounding it,” says Harpreet. The opening monitor, ‘Prarthna’, is an invocation to Guru Gobind Singh. ‘Ramnavmi’ is a poignant reminder of the unity amongst Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, who celebrated Ramnavmi collectively. ‘Phade jaan di khabar’ describes the general public’s response to the arrest of Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal by the British.
The bullet holes are a reminder of the horrific bloodbath.
| Picture Credit score:
PRABHAS ROY
‘Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar 1919)‘ recreates the night of the bloodbath, highlighting the grief of fogeys mourning the lack of their kids. ‘Shaheedan di awaaz’ is concerning the martyrs addressing the nation, urging them to not neglect their sacrifice. ‘Shaheedan walon normal Dyer nu’ condemns Common Dyer, labelling him a assassin. Within the concluding monitor, ‘Chitthiyaan dardan diyan”, Nanak Singh turns into the voice of the individuals, who write letters full of ache and sorrow to the British.
The Chennai go to
As a part of the album launch tour, Harpreet will likely be travelling with Navdeep Suri to Chennai (August 21, Chennai Worldwide Centre) and Bengaluru (August 25 at Courtyard Koota and August 27 at Bangalore Worldwide Centre). They’ll then head to the U.S. and Canada for performances at JLF Houston, JLF New York, JLF Colorado, JLF Seattle in addition to at different occasions in Toronto and Vancouver.
This musical challenge is likely one of the closest to Harpreet’s coronary heart.
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
At the moment, Harpreet is working in his Mumbai studio on a number of songs that he has carried out however not but launched, together with ‘Bandhu’ and ‘Geetfarosh’. “These songs have been properly obtained at numerous music festivals and concert events, and I’m excited to share them with a wider viewers quickly,” he says.
