Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar)

The following details about Bhai Arjan Singh Ji, founder of Akal Sangeet Sabha, were obtained from Bhai Sahib’s son, Bhai Gurpreet Singh Ji who has done a wonderful job in translating and editing this from a magazine article.

Bhai Arjan Singh Ji, son of Bhai Kartar Singh and Mata Mohan Kaur, was born on 21st May 1932 in Amritsar. His parents were true devotees of Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar and they followed an uncompromising schedule of going to Harmandir Sahib daily at 2.30 a.m. This devotion for our Gurus was strongly embedded into the mind of Bhai Arjan Singh Ji as well from a young age.

In 1944, Bhai Arjan Singh Ji got deeply inclined towards Kirtan when he listened to Sant Sujan Singh Ji perform Kirtan in Amritsar. As he started to develop admiration towards Shabad Kirtan, he began practicing on the tabla and dholak, with which he performed Kirtan in Gurdwara Kaulsar Sahib, Amritsar. By 1951, Bhai Arjan Singh Ji had obtained the divine knowledge of Raags and he formed a jatha which he named ‘Akal Sangeet Sabha’ after he staged his first Kirtan performance in Akal Takhat Sahib, Amritsar. Bhai Arjan Singh Ji’s jatha consisted of Bhai Balbir Singh Ji, Bhai Mohinder Singh Ji (Thumri), Bhai Rajbir Singh Ji and Bhai Surjit Singh Ji. For many years, he performed selfless Kirtan Sewa in various Gurdwaras. His Kirtan was broadcast on radio and also recorded on cassettes by companies such as T-series.

For many years, he organised and performed at an annual Kirtan Darbar in memory of Baba Nand Singh Ji to pay tribute on his memorial day. He had a strong admiration towards Nanaksar which began with a miraculous incident he once experienced while traveling back from Nanaksar by train with a Sangat of 65 people. For some unfortunate reason, the person who had all the tickets missed the train and boarded on another train at a slightly later time. When the ticket collector came to examine all of their tickets, a gentleman dressed in a simple white attire suddenly came forward and handed over all 65 tickets to the collector. When Bhai Sahib and the Sangat reached their destination, they found the other person who had boarded the later train standing at the station with the 65 tickets in his hand. Bhai Sahib was overwhelmed with tears and took this incident as God’s grace. From that day onward, he devoted his mind to Gurdwara Nanaksar and he also developed much love and admiration for Baba Kundan Singh Ji, Nanaksar.

During the riots in 1984, Bhai Arjan Singh Ji traveled to Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia to stand in support of the victims of 1984 by promoting Gurbani. He also made a tour to England in 1990 and another to Dubai in 1996. In 2001, Bhai Sahib suffered a stroke which left him paralysed on one side. However, he did not lose his faith and devotion towards Guru Sahib and continued to perform Kirtan. He even traveled to Manikaran Sahib for Kirtan in this condition. Keeping up with the spirit of serving selflessly until the very end, Bhai Arjan Singh Ji took his last breath on 9th December 2003 and submitted himself to the divine order of Waheguru.

Even to this day, his famous recordings such as ‘Aad Sach Jugaad Sach’, ‘Aisa Naam Niranjan Hoye’, and ‘Kirpa Karo Deen Ke Daate’ are published on various platforms including radio, social media, cassettes and on the internet as well. These recordings are still enjoyed and loved by many around the world. If anyone has more recordings of Akal Sangeet Sabha, please contact us.

The following recordings are from their tour to Malaysia in 1985. These were contributed by Sardar Karam Singh Ji. Please ‘right click’ and ‘save link as’ to download audio files. Enjoy!

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 01 Deho Sajan Aseesarhiyan

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 02 Ram Simar Pachtayenga

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 03 Assan Bhi Othe Jaana

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 04 Waheguru Ji

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 05 Oocha Mohan Sabh Te Oocha

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 06 Jis Da Karta Mitar

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 07 Main Gareeb Sach Tek (Incomplete)

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 08 Sansar Samunde Taar Gobinde

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 09 Aayo Padan Sunan Ko Bani

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 10 Anand Sahib

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 11 Tera Thaan Suhaava

Akal Sangeet Sabha (Amritsar) – 12 Charan Chalo Marag Gobind