Song sung true to Kartarpur corridor
MANY CAME TOGETHER TO RELEASE A SONG DEDICATED TO THE CORRIDOR IN AN INCLUSIVE TRADITION OF GURU NANAK
CHANDIGARH: In a typical Punjab ritual of having a song to mark every occasion, artistes have come together to create a song to mark the opening of the Kartarpur corridor.
Popularly termed “Laanghe da geet”, the song is an ode to the composite culture of Punjab with its shared beliefs and way of life. The song will be released on social media on Tuesday when celebrations of Guru Nanak’s 550th anniversary open at Sultanpur Lodhi.
Penned by leading Punjabi poet Surjit Patar, whose verses have mirrored the pain and the joy of the land of the five rivers, the song has been dedicated to the saints, sages and Sufi poets of Punjab. The soulful music, in the “kirtan” tradition, has been composed by Sukhwant Singh, director, Baba Sucha Singh Gurmat Sangeet Academy, Jandiala Guru, Amritsar. While Dev Dildar, Yaqub Khan, Jagdev Riaz and Manraj have given their voice to the song, the poetic video images and shots are arranged by well-known filmmaker Harjit Singh.
Amarjit Grewal, who is the convener of the cultural celebrations’ committee of the 550th birth anniversary year celebrations, says: “It was in general conversations with Patar that I casually said that we should have a song to the opening of the Kartarpur corridor. The thought remained at the back of his mind and the he wrote it.”
That done, the search started for a music composer and singers and visuals, which happened in a short time and the song is all set to reach the music lovers in a day.
The joy of people is reflected in the opening lines of the stanza whey the poet exclaims: “Mere tarasade naina nu nazar labhi, tere daran nu jaandi dagar labh, milea masin rasta dukh dian janglan chon, kaali raat de nere chon fazar labhi (My eyes find the sight when I see the road to your abode, at last, I find a path in the sorrowing forests in the darkness of a moonless night I see light. Celebrating the “laanagha” (corridor) as a refrain, the song also encompasses the inclusive tradition by offering homage to the verses of saints like Kabir, Namdev, Sheikh Farid, Surdas, Jaidev, Sheikh Farid, Trilochan, Parmanand, Ravi Das, Shah Hussain, Sultan Bahu, and Bulleh Shah. The poets who penned legends like Waris Shah, Damodar, Piloo, Hashim, Qadar Yaar and others, thus this song to a road is a grand rejoicing of love and togetherness across religions and a salutation to poetic traditions.