I write to you as 2016 draws to it’s close. Wishing all my dearest supporters and the world itself a blessed festive season and all the wonders and light of the next year to be bestowed upon you in abundance. The end of year is a moment to take pause, to remember that almost every second child in this world lives in poverty. May God bless us all with compassion, generosity, empathy and love. Please continue to support the great work of Kirtan for Causes and encourage each other to reach out and help those in need. It really is a universal truth that every small act makes a difference.
The final months of this year have been full of blessed opportunities for me. My musical journey in to my faith continues to amaze me. In mid-November I travelled to London to perform at the annual Sikh Awards. I was honoured to receive the award for Sikhs in Entertainment. I performed the opening act for the ceremony. On this occasion I was joined by two vocalists Jamie Doe and Rhai Parker along with guitarist Camilo Menjura. I chose to mix Punjabi words with English to communicate the divine message of the shabads most clearly. I was pleased with my performance and the award win. Next though came my moment to make an acceptance speech. The kind of speech you dream about having to make – I was nervous indeed. I chose to highlight the principles of service amongst the Sikh community. To illustrate my words I retold a chilling memory of the immediate effects of male suicide that I witnessed on one of my annual trips to Punjab. Amongst the glitter and glamour of an awards ceremony, we must not forget present day rural Punjabi communities are often struggling against an ocean of despair with drug abuse and male suicide at all time high rates.
The trip to London also heralded an invitation to sing at the Houses of Parliament no less. Another inconceivable honour, I was pleased to perform for an event marking Guru Nanak’s birthday. Also present were the Sikh Federation UK, the Sikh Network and Dharam Seva Records. Here I performed with the inimitable Jyotsna Srikanth and an ensemble of esteemed musicians. Singing kirtan in an architecturally stunning building that literally oozes momentous history was an unforgettable experience.
I also hit the studio in London and worked on two new tracks with a new producer. More on that soon, good things are coming my friends. My album with the legendary producer Talvin Singh OBE is now complete and in the mastering stage. I also found time on my travels to sit with Amol Rajan of the BBC and the Sikh Channel for interviews on my work and mission. A new partnership with Dharam Seva Records in the UK has seen further promotion and distribution of my music videos with my video Aukhee Gharee reaching over 1 million views on different social media platforms. We are also in talks to cook up some exciting new ventures together in the New Year.
Last month we launched the website: www.educatetosave.com. (link below) A centralised platform that simplifies no end the process of sponsoring a child’s education in Punjab. With each small improvement we bend closer towards changing the face of rural Punjab in just one generation.
Whilst in London I also recorded a poem entitled ‘We Are Love’ which was shared on social media – the video was a simple message about compassion for all creation and leaving a beautiful world for the next generation. I felt truly blessed to have friends and other social media pages with large followings share the message further – to those who did share I thank you from the core of me, each project takes time, love and dedication – it’s hard to express but thank you. Thanks to all of you the video has been viewed over 250,000 times on Facebook with more pages currently contacting me to share it on their pages.
2016 has been a year of great spiritual wonderment and musical exploration for me and my team. The work never stops though and with a full heart I face 2017, ready to embrace the sun’s new orbit with positivity and the grace bestowed upon us all by Waheguru. Happy New Year indeed.