Gurmat Sangeet technical terminology dictionary released at a function on Friday

Updated on: Saturday, November 17, 2012

People across the world who were drawn by the soothing strains of Gurmat Sangeet - the art and science of singing and playing hymns of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the prescribed "raga" - but used to stumble over its finer nuances due to the language barrier, have help at hand. Punjabi University in Patiala has come out with the first dictionary of Gurmat Sangeet.

The Gurmat Sangeet technical terminology dictionary, compiled by the university's Gurmat Sangeet department, was released at a function on Friday. It contains meaning of 1,205 tough words commonly found in Sikh music and is available in Punjabi, Hindi and English.

To avoid any controversy over the explanation of words, the team of 14 Sikh scholars who readied the dictionary strictly followed the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikh religious code of conduct of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Mahan Kosh by eminent writer Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Kosh of Bhai Vir Singh and other authentic sources of Sikh religious literature.

It took the team two years to complete the volume, which also has a large number of illustrations to facilitate easy assimilation.

The challenging task began with the scholars collecting books on theoretical and practical terminologies used in the genre. They also conducted several workshops where scholars and experts were invited to perform. This helped the team identify the technical terminology prevalent for centuries.

Head of the Gurmat Sangeet department Dr Gurnam Singh said, "This is the first such dictionary. A vast tradition of music emerged during the collection of technical terminology in Sikh music. There are many 'ragas' and 'taals' in Sikh sacred music, which can only be explained if you know the meaning of words. We have defined all 1,205 tough words used in this genre."

The dictionary also elaborates on the 21 main instruments used in Sikh music.

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