Sacred Songs of the Sikhs

The YouTube generation are re-inventing Kirtan, an ancient form of Sikh worship.

Kirtan, the devotional singing of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, has traditionally been accompanied by tabla or harmonium. Today, a new generation of Sikhs are uploading their own style of Kirtan to the global diaspora.

Nina Robinson meets Kirtan artists Manika Kaur from Dubai and Violinder from San Francisco. With millions of views on their respective YouTube channels, these musicians are pushing boundaries, fusing Kirtan with electronic soundscapes. Manika Kaur believes by providing English translations to her videos, she is reaching many more young Sikhs with the words of the Guru as written in the ancient texts.

In India, Nina visits the Golden Temple in Amritsar, one of Sikhism’s holiest gurdwaras. She meets one of the temple’s official Kirtaniyas, Bhai Nirmal Singh. Bhai Nirmal argues the words of the Guru should not be experimented. He believes fusing Kirtan with contemporary music production techniques is at odds with the true message of Sikhism.