The Renaissance of Sikh Devotional Music Memory, Identity, Orthopraxy
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Renaissance of Sikh Devotional Music Memory, Identity, Orthopraxy by Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Asian Languages and Cultures) in the University of Michigan 2014 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Arvind-Pal Mandair, Chair Emeritus Professor Judith Becker Associate Professor Balbinder Bhogal, Hofstra University Professor Madhav Deshpande Assistant Professor Meilu Ho Copyright © 2014 Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa ii Table of Contents List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. v List of Appendices ..................................................................................................................... vi Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 Gurbani Kirtan Renaissance ............................................................................................................. 2 Ethnographic Research and Approach ........................................................................................... 3 Debating Between Two Revivalist Groups: Reformist and Parampara ..................................... 9 Defining Tradition: Parampara, Maryada, Rahit ........................................................................ 12 Defining Authenticity, Authority, and Subjectivity ................................................................... 15 Gurbani Kirtan: Constructing, Reconstructing, and Deconstructing Sikh Identity ............... 16 Integrative Tension: Parampara-Maryada ................................................................................... 20 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 22 Chapter 1 - Sikh Devotional Music: A Historical Perspective .......................................... 24 1.1 Indian Soteriology of Music ................................................................................................... 24 1.2 Sikh Devotional Music ............................................................................................................ 26 1.3 Sovereign Identity within the Gurus’ Bani .......................................................................... 30 1.4 Shifting Musical Patronage ..................................................................................................... 33 1.4.1 From Temple to Court ........................................................................................................ 33 1.4.2 From “Religious” to Political Institutions ........................................................................ 34 1.4.3 From Private to Public Commercial ................................................................................. 37 1.5 ConteMporary Revival and ReforM ....................................................................................... 42 Chapter 2 - ReforMing Sikh Religious Identity ................................................................... 45 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 45 2.1 Orientalist Authority .................................................................................................................... 47 2.1.1 The “Orientalist Knower” and the “Oriental Known” .................................................. 48 2.1.2 Influential Indology ............................................................................................................ 50 2.2 Native ReforM ............................................................................................................................ 54 2.2.1 Singh Sabha: Sikhi(sm) and Moral Monotheism ............................................................ 54 2.3 Modern Musicology .................................................................................................................. 56 2.3.1 Recovering a Pure Musical Origin .................................................................................... 56 2.3.2 Musical Reformists: Bhatkhande and Paluskar .............................................................. 58 2.3.3 Bhatkhande and Notation .................................................................................................. 59 2.3.4 Paluskar’s Religious Revival ............................................................................................. 61 iii 2.4 The MusliM “Other” ................................................................................................................. 62 2.4.1 The Expulsion of Muslim Rababi Musicians from the Sikh Musical Sphere ............. 65 2.4.2 Authorizing a Normative Sikh Identity ........................................................................... 72 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 73 Chapter 3 - Gurbani Kirtan Parampara ................................................................................. 76 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 76 3.1 Historical Practice of Gurbani Kirtan ........................................................................................ 80 3.2 Defining Authenticity and Authority within the ParaMpara ........................................... 83 3.2.1 Exploring the Validity of Orally Transmitted Knowledge ........................................... 84 3.2.2 The Power and Authority of Memory .............................................................................. 85 3.2.3 Guru-Shishya Relationship: Questioning Hegemonic Authority ................................ 87 3.3 ParaMpara Authority and Authenticity ................................................................................ 88 3.3.1 Authority of Authentic Experience ................................................................................... 88 3.3.2 Communicating Between Past and Present ..................................................................... 90 3.3.3 Gaining Authority from the Orally-Transmitted Parampara Pedagogy .................... 92 3.3.4 Challenges to Notions of Authority and Authenticity in the Parampara ................... 95 3.4 ParaMpara Pedagogy: Soteric-Aesthetic Methodology to EMbody the Bani Guru ...... 99 3.4.1 Building a Soteric-Aesthetic Foundation ....................................................................... 100 3.4.2 Shabd-Reet(s): Analyzing Spiritual-Musical Symbiosis .............................................. 107 3.4.3 Soteric-Aesthetic Symbiosis and Revelation ................................................................. 113 3.4.4 Unraveling the Sikh Notion of “Revelation” ................................................................ 116 3.5 Authenticity .............................................................................................................................. 119 3.5.1 Ancient Compositions Remembered and Sung by Living Books .............................. 119 3.5.2 Analyzing Authentic Compositions through their Soteric-Aesthetic Symbiosis ..... 123 Conclusion: Towards Future Creations ........................................................................................ 131 Chapter 4 - GurMat Sangeet: Contemporary ReforM of Sikh Musical Memory & Identity ...................................................................................................................................... 133 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 133 4.1 Institutionalization and Politicization of Gurbani Kirtan .................................................. 134 4.1.1 Sikh Institutions: From Knowledgeable Vidwans to Political Authority of SGPC . 135 4.1.2 Political Patronage: Employing Ragis at Harimandir Sahib ....................................... 138 4.1.3 The Modern Institutionalization of Gurbani Kirtan Education ................................. 142 4.2 ConteMporary Revival of “Traditional” Gurbani Kirtan ................................................ 149 4.2.1 The Creation of “Gurmat Sangeet”: Institutionalizing an Independent Sikh Musical Identity ............................................................................................................................................ 150 4.3 Orthopraxy ................................................................................................................................ 156 4.3.1 Reforming and Institutionalizing Sikh Musical Practice ............................................. 156 iv 4.3.2 The Raag Controversy: Standardization and Authentication .................................... 159 4.3.3 Discordant Pedagogies and Ideologies: The Modernist Search for Authenticity .... 169 Conclusion: Mediating Oral and Textual Authority .................................................................. 175 Chapter 5 - Debating Orthopraxy, Authority, Authenticity ...........................................