Ustad Jaswant Singh Kular (Teebar)

One notable quality of Ustad Jaswant Singh Ji was that he absorbed knowledge from wherever he could and he distributed this knowledge generously to anyone who was willing to learn. He is said to have taught music to 3000 students throughout his life. For this noble deed, he was honored on 10th February 2018 by having his portrait installed at the Central Sikh Museum in Amritsar.

Ustad Jaswant Singh Ji was born in 1913 in the village of Kular in the district of Ludhiana. When he was a young boy, he lost his vision due to chickenpox. At the age of 11, he was sent to the Dodar Taksal where he learned Gurbani and Kirtan for 15 years. Subsequently, he went to Tarn Taran and came under the tutelage of the renowned Pandit Nathu Ram Ji.

After his stay at Taran Tarn, he went from one location to another teaching Kirtan in schools at various towns such as in Barnala, Bhasin Sahiwal (formerly known as Montgomery), Khant Maanpur and Sheikhpura. He also served in Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash, Damdami Taksal from 1973 to 1979. Some of Ustad Jaswant Singh Ji’s notable students include Bhai Mukand Singh (father of the late tabla maestro, Bhai Harjit Singh Bittu), Bhai Lal Singh Dhanola (Mastuana Sahib), Bhai Amrik Singh, Bhai Kulwant Singh ‘tabla vadak’, Bhai Ajmer Singh, Bhai Pritam Singh Saron and many more. In 1982, when Ustad Ji visited Canada, the renowned Bhai Amarjit Singh Taan was also touring at the same time and he became a student of Ustad Jaswant Singh Ji as well. Ustad Jaswant Singh Ji has two sons; one of Ustad Ji’s son, Harkirat Singh is based in Vancouver, Canada while his other son, Gurkirat Singh remains in the village of Kular.

The information above was obtained from the book ‘Punjab De Parsidh Raagi Rababi’ by author Balbir Singh Kanwal. Some additional information was taken from an article written by Gurjinder Singh Rasia. According to Harkirat Singh Ji, Ustad Jaswant Singh Ji traveled to Singapore and Malaysia between 1981 and 1982, and while in Singapore, he stayed in Gurdwara Sahib Katong. It is highly possible that he was recorded by late Sardar Amir Singh Ji during that time. If anyone has any of Ustad Jaswant Singh Ji’s recordings from that tour or any other recordings of his to share, please contact us.

The following recordings were obtained from the YouTube channel ‘Kular Kirtan Academy’ which is run by Ustad Ji’s son, Harkirat Singh Kular. Please ‘right click’ and ‘save link as’ to download audio files. Enjoy!

Ustad Jaswant Singh Kular (Teebar) – 01 Taj Gaye Ghar Baar 1

Ustad Jaswant Singh Kular (Teebar) – 02 Taj Gaye Ghar Baar 2

Ustad Jaswant Singh Kular (Teebar) – 03 Khot Khot Kamaavana

Ustad Jaswant Singh Kular (Teebar) – 04 Assa Bhi Othe Jaana

Ustad Jaswant Singh Kular (Teebar) – 05 Sajan Mere Rangule

Ustad Jaswant Singh Kular (Teebar) – 06 Gurmukh Janam Savaar