Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala)

 

 

In the last century, there were many big names in the field of Gurmat Sangeet and one such great personality was Bhai Munsha Singh Ji of Kapurthala. His name may be familiar among connoisseurs of Gurmat Sangeet, but unfortunately, he is largely unknown among the general Sikh population.

Bhai Munsha Singh Ji was born in 1926 into the home of Sardar Gian Singh Ji and Mata Lajwant Kaur Ji. He grew up in the village of Gojra, Lyallpur which is now located in modern day Pakistan. Although his family was from a farming background, he developed an interest to learn music. His initiation into music was by a renowned Rababi of his time, Bhai Khajan Singh, from whom he learned the fundamentals of music. He was a very hardworking student and gained a lot of knowledge from Bhai Khajan Singh Ji.

After the partition in 1947, Bhai Munsha Singh Ji settled down in Kapurthala. Still yearning for more knowledge, he began learning Kirtan from Sant Sujan Singh Ji. His time spent with Sant Sujan Singh Ji added more depth to his singing, and the singing style of Sant Sujan Singh Ji is echoed in Bhai Munsha Singh’s Kirtan. His quest for knowledge did not end there. He also went on to learn the nuances of classical singing from Ustad Sohan Singh Ji, Padam Shri.

Bhai Munsha Singh Ji was also blessed with the company of Sant Baba Nand Singh Ji (Nanaksar Kaleran Wale). He spent 6 years in service of Sant Baba Nand Singh Ji and received many blessings from Baba Ji during this time.

It is worth noting that Bhai Munsha Singh Ji received many awards for his contribution to Gurmat Sangeet. Some of his accomplishments include receiving the Bhai Mardana Award from Jawaddi Taksal, and the Bhai Mardana Award at the Bhai Mardana Kirtan Samagam held in Hoshiarpur. He was also honoured by Khalsa College, Amritsar. Bhai Munsha Singh was an artist with All India Radio (AIR) Jalandhar, and his recorded Shabads were aired frequently from the station. There is a collection of his recordings preserved by Akashvani, Jalandhar.

His family consists of two sons and four daughters. Both of his sons, Bhai Kuldeep Singh Ji and Bhai Arvind Singh Ji accompanied him in his ‘jatha’ and hopefully, continue his legacy.

The information above was obtained from Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa’s book titled ‘Gurmat Sangeet De Anmol Rattan’ which was published in 2010. At the time of writing, Bhai Nirmal Singh Ji mentions that Bhai Munsha Singh Ji still resides in Kapurthala at the ripe age of 84. One of Bhai Munsha Singh Ji’s wishes is for the revival of the Rababi tradition, and the singing styles of Bhai Lal Mohamad ‘Amritsari’ and Bhai Chand to be prevalent. The information regarding Bhai Munsha Singh Ji was provided to Bhai Nirmal Singh Ji by Sardar Tirath Singh Dhillon.  

If anyone has more recordings or photos of Bhai Munsha Singh Ji, please contact us.

 

The first batch of recordings are of Bhai Munsha Singh Ji in his prime, in which his prowess as a classical singer is clearly heard. These recordings were kindly contributed by the family of late Sardar Manmohan Singh Marwaha. Please ‘right click’ and ‘save link as’ to download audio files. Enjoy!

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 01 Saajna Sant Aao Mere (Darbari)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 02 Vaar Vaaro Anik Darou (Darbari)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 03 Baaj Guru Dooba Jag Sara (with Katha and Kavtas)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 04 Hasrat Yehi Hai Aap Ke (Kavta)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 05 Gurmukh Hamesha Jeete (Kavta)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 06 Ji Karda Hai Mere Guru Nanak (Kavta – Incomplete)

 

In this next batch of recordings, Bhai Munsha Singh Ji’s voice sounds a little more aged but as someone once said, an aged lion still roars. These recordings are also from the collection of late Sardar Manmohan Singh Marwaha.

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 01 Aise Gur Ko Bal Bal Jaiye (Darbari)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 02 Tu Kahe Dole Praniyaa

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 03 Ram Bhaj Ram Bhaj (Jaijavanti)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 04 Tu Kahe Dole Praniyaa & Tu Samrath Vadaa

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 05 Gurmukh Koi Virla Bhoojhe (Malhaar)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 06 Thakur Aiso Naam Tuharo (Gujri)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 07 Tu Samrath Vadaa

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 08 Bhan Mathura Kach Bhed Nahi (Madhuvanti)

Bhai Munsha Singh (Kapurthala) – 09 Guru Arjan Sach Sirjanhara (Incomplete)