Gurpurab 2024: Daler Mehndi, Sukhwinder Singh, Harshdeep Kaur talk about the festival, langar, shabad and Karah Parshad

On Guru Nanak Jayanti, Daler Mehndi, Sukhwinder Singh, Harshdeep Kaur share what the day means to them and their fondest childhood memories of the festival.

Daler Mehndi: I look forward to Prabhat Pheris on Gurpurab

To me, this time of the year is like renewing of the cells in the body with fresh vital energy. The guru is present at all times, but the time of Gurpurab you feel like rekindling of divinity within with more power. The prayers, singing together as one soul of hundreds of people together as sangat, the Prabhat Pheris, waking up at 5am and dressing up in your finest for the keertan are a few things I look forward to. Dollying up the house with lights, flowers, incenses and waiting for the sangat at home is also exciting. I feel the intensity of my prayers increases during Gurpurab.

Daler Mehndi, Sukhwinder Singh and Harshdeep Kaur

Daler Mehndi

My childhood memories of Gurpurab are of pure happiness, bliss and joy. We would wear new clothes that Bibi (mum) would manage to get for all of us in time and really relish the Karah Parshad. I also have a lot of scrumptious langar memories. But above all, preparing new compositions of shabads to sing to the sangat and the opportunity to listen to the best ragis from across India still remain so fresh in my memory. I remember singing Ik Fakir Vadda Mastana by Bhai Gurdas ji. I will be sharing a jukebox of the shabads today on my YouTube channel.

Sukhwinder Singh: I was 7 when I started singing shabad at Golden Temple in Amritsar

Sukhwinder Singh

Guru Nanak Dev ji’s Prakash Utsav aka Gurpurab matters a lot of me and the entire world. Poori duniya mein main chaahe jahan bhi hota hoon, bade saubhagya ki baat hai ki mujhe gurdwara har jagah mil jaata hai. Main safed rang ke kapde pehan ke, tayyar hokar wahan jaata hoon aur baani padhta rehta hoon. I was 7 when I started visiting Shri Darbar Saheb aka Golden Temple in Amritsar and started singing shabad there. That was my way of offering my love and respect to guru ji.

Harshdeep Kaur: We always take Hunar to the Nagar Kirtan

Usually, we go to the gurudwara with family and listen to shabads. This year marks the 555th Gurupurab celebrations and I had the fortune to perform my shabad - Satguru Nanak Aaye Ne - in New Jersey recently. We always take Hunar (her 3-year-old son) to the Nagar Kirtan (a Sikh tradition that involves a group singing holy hymns in a residential area), which is one day prior and he gets fascinated to see the fireworks and processions on the streets.

Harshdeep Kaur with son Hunar

Gurpurab is a very special day for us, Sikhs. I have wonderful memories attached to this occasion every year. As a kid, I would go to the gurdwara with my family and listen to the melodious kirtan there followed by guru ka langar and my favourite Karah Parshad.