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When History Holds No Answers
by I.J. SINGHMost readers know that better than 90 percent of Sikh scripture - Guru Granth - is written in the most elegant poetry, set to music in the Indian traditions of classical music.
It is equally well recognized that classical music, whether Indian or specifically Sikh or of any other variety, is complex. The fundamental structure of Indian musicology is the system of rigidly mandated scales of notes that form the many ragas. Seven of the ten Guru-prophets of Sikhism wrote inspired poetry that we recognize as divine. The compositions of six Gurus form the bulk of the Guru Granth. They composed their work in 31 major ragas and several ragnees or minor ragas. The ragas used in the Guru Granth are not just North Indian, but some came from other, distant parts of the sub-continent. The fifth Guru, Arjan, invented a musical instrument, the saranda. Indeed, the Sikh Gurus were consummate musicians - unexcelled and unequaled.
Even those of us who are blessed with a tin ear recognize that classic music, whether Indian or Western, is not an easy art to master. It takes the study and dedication of a lifetime to become even marginally proficient.
But, I have never seen any historical evidence, not even a footnote, suggesting that any of the Gurus, from Nanak to Gobind Singh, ever went to a teacher or an academy to learn music.
Could this be just a void in the historical narrative of a very young religious tradition? Will research fill in the empty spaces, or should we recognize the musical skills of the Gurus as God-given talent that lies beyond our exploration or understanding? It is a question that fascinates me, but one that I have never encountered in my readings on Sikhi.
Keep in mind that the boy genius Mozart composed immortal music at age seven? Remember that Socrates, Buddha, Jesus, Nanak, and many others that we term divine, even Shakespeare, never went to college, yet innumerable scholars continue to spend lives writing unreadable and obscure doctoral theses dissecting their ideas.
I salute and celebrate these and other original minds. Indeed, they discovered and nurtured the spark of divinity that, Guru Granth tells us, is in each and every one of us.