Happy end of financial year to all our friends worldwide !!!
SEE DETAILS OF OUR (BEING ORGANISED) TOUR OF Nth. AMERICA FOR SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR below...
After an amazing month in Malaysia, this month will probably turn out to be an anticlimax. I am back in Oz with my lovely grandchildren who are as yet still as beautiful as ever and having missed me. They are an absolute delight. It was also my grandson Saffal's 6th. birthday on 28th. Waheguru bless him with Chardhi Kala, Sikhi-dhan, naam-dhan and good health.
7th. Saturday. Daylesford Concert at Town Hall. Daylesford is a picturesque town in the state of Victoria, Australia. It boasts yoga centres, ashrams, spiritual retreats, natural spring water spas and local handicrafts. Alternative life stylists love this beautiful town. We enjoyed a beautiful evening with a full scale concert with a very appreciative audience. We introduced one more tabla player - Sunvir, who is only 16. He excelled. Sunvir is the son of Kulvinder (Kamay) Singh who is himself, a good Guru-kirtania, and who is the grandson of the legendary Malaysian Sikh ragi of the 50's and 60's of Kuala Kangsar fame - Ragi Badan Singh. On stage were all three of my lovely daughters - Jamel, Harsel (who drove down from Sydney with fiancee Premjit) and Parvyn - Andrew Clermont (who missed out on Penang Malaysia) and Josh Bennett. Jamel also served food at the break. We stayed overnight in the town which is about 100km. westwards from Melbourne. Concert organised by John Graham.
I have spent the rest of the month in wintry Melbourne which means short, wet, cold, windy - in short, miserable - days !! It has been great recuperation.
So some social, spiritual commentary and some latest trivia.
(1) Sikh Review reports that only recently, the Immigration Department of USA discovered that Nelson Mandela was still on its unwanted persons list - still listed as a terrorist !!! We celebrate his 90th. birthday this month.
(2) Pakistani movie highly recommended for viewing - 'Khuda ke liye'. A movie about the internal and external conflicts within Islam - the fundamentalists and the moderates. This film has been rated highly by social observers worldwide. This movie is made by a Muslim and shows the dark side of Islam and the moderate side. A Sikh could also see parallels within Sikhism. Well, I could, after travelling around the globe performing kirtan and doing concerts and meeting all kinds of 'Sikhs' worldwide - especially the moderates and the fundamentalists. You will have to see it to understand what I am talking about. Indian actor Naseerudin Shah is brought in for one famous scene. The rest of the cast is Pakistani with some non-Pakistani actors in specific roles. The movie is shot in UK, USA and in Pakistan. It also pursues the issue of girls being lured away to marry Pakistani boys and made to live as virtual prisoners in Pakistan especially on the border with Afghanistan. There are cases of Sikh girls in UK and Canada being bedazzled by handsome Pakistani boys, marrying them and then finding themselves virtual prisoners in Pakistan.
(3) For those waiting for more recordings from us, the full Sukhmani Sahib is nearing completion and one other album which is non-Gurbani is also nearing completion. The non-Gurbani album is a selection of north Indian popular old songs - mainly with a spiritual theme or bhajans, with a couple of sentimental favourites requested by the sponsor.
Please register on our website www.dyasingh.com for us to keep effectively in touch with you for the future.
North American Tour - September/October 2008
Currently being organised. The itinerary so far is as follows:
Arrive in USA (California) - Sep.10
Sep11: Chico CA - concert (Organised by California World Music Council)
Sep12: Chico CA - workshops
Sep13: AVAILABLE - BAY AREA
Sun. Sep14: Freight & Carriage Jazz Club, Berkeley CA - concert. (Sunday evening)
Sep15-18: AVAILABLE (PREFERABLY IN CA)
Sep19: Madison Wisconsin World Music Festival
Sat. Sep20: Rockford Illinois Charlottes Web
Sun. Sep21: Chicago World Music Festival
Mon.Sep22 - Wed Oct1: (about 8 days incl. weekend) AVAILABLE
Thurs. Oct02: Skirball LA CA
Fri. Oct 03 to Wed. Oct08: AVAILABLE
Oct 09: Dearborn (Detroit) - concert
Fri./Sat: Oct10/11 : Toronto Spinning Wheel Film Festival
Sun Oct12: Washington DC - Kennedy Center
Mon. Oct.13 : End of tour.
We are very keen to now fit in programs amongst Sikh sangats and especially do programs for Sikh youth. PLEASE CONTACT US (MYSELF DIRECTLY) IF YOU WANT US IN YOUR PART OF NORTH AMERICA. Now is the time and we expect to schedule on a first come first serve basis. We will basically be looking at covering costs and whatever generosity you can muster. Talk to us. or write to me on dya@sikhpointmail.com
Our financial philosophy is to get invitations from about five major festivals which help us to cover our basic overhead costs and then hoping to pay ourselves with smaller programs and sale of cd's. So, if interested please get in touch.
We need contact almost immediately as we have to apply for Visas for US and Canada.
Till next month...
Dya Singh
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