Dance of Devotion

It was in the film Halla Bol that Singh gave his listeners a soulful rendition of gurbani through the song Tu Prabh Daata. With Sai Ram,he pays a spiritual tribute to the pilgrimage site of Shirdi Sai Baba,which he has been visiting for over a decade now. “Back home in Punjab,we were brought up on lot of soulful music and songs of the saints,” says Singh. “Punjab is a land of saints,and I’ve always felt a divine connection. It was rekindled when I visited the Sai Darbar in Shirdi,” he adds.

“When call of the divine came,all it took me was a day to write,compose and record the album,” he says. His album has a distinct tone and temper. Unlike usual slow devotional songs,this album has a upbeat,catchy feel to his music. “Every year,Mumbai has Ganapati pooja,where the roads fill with devotees,dancing with joy. I was inspired by this energy,” says Singh,who has used a fusion style for this album.

The energy carries on to the music videos,where boys in jeans,ganjis and Rajasthani style pagris,dance to the name of Sai. “There are two bhajans and a trance song,full of verve and fusion music with bhangra beats. My favourite is Mubarakan,a bhajan that celebrates the coming of Sai to Shirdi,” says Singh adding that people even walk on foot to Shirdi. Singh has been sporting a temporary tattoo of Saibaba on his chest,and has temples in his studio and home. This album is a mureed’s (follower’s) ode to his murshad (spiritual guide). “Every song I’ve sung in my career,be it Dard-e-Disco,Jai Ho,Chak De,Chaiyya Chaiyya,or even Singham,all have been like a prayer,” says Singh,who will be singing gurbani soon at the the Shahpur Gurdwara in Thane,Maharashtra.