Ratna Gill, 16 April 2024
Every once in a while, you come across an artist whose voice seems to be coming not just from himself, but as though another world is speaking through him. Such is the strength and vocal power of singer Kanwal Grewal, whom the Punjab Youth Club of Hong Kong invited to perform for their annual Baisakhi celebration on April 14th at Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Wan Chai. Grewal had the enraptured audience alternating between awe at his immense vocal prowess and hysterical laughter as he interspersed his songs with stories and sharp social commentary. His words underscored the importance of authenticity to oneself, devotion to one’s faith, and passion for what one does.
Baisakhi is a joyful festival to celebrate the harvest season, which finds its religious roots in 1699. It marks the “birthday of the Sikhs,” as Khushwant Singh writes: “The Guru [Gobind Rai] announced that the panj piyāre (five beloved ones) were to be the nucleus of a new community he would raise which was to be called the Khālsā. He baptized the five men in a new manner, he mixed sugar in plain water and churned it with a double-edged dagger…the five who had until then belonged to different Hindu castes were made to drink out of one bowl to signify their initiation into the casteless fraternity of the Khalsa” (A History of the Sikhs, 80).
During his passionate performance, Grewal addressed the audience (translated from Punjabi): “We get caught up in these small, meaningless categories of ‘Sikh, Hindu, Muslim’ – I think if you read the Gurbani you will find that there is a humanity above all that. I am in love with that humanity.”
Grewal’s sufi tunes borrow from Punjabi folk music motifs, with elements from dance and pop music, melding his larger-than-life voice with melodies that are memorable and easy to follow. On Sunday, he shared his relentless energy freely with the audience: when his microphone had feedback because it was too close to his band members’ microphones, Grewal hopped off of the stage, completing the rest of his performance beaming, with footwork just as enthusiastic while balancing atop a chair. He said, “I didn’t come this far for you all not to get your money’s worth. Let’s do this.” When cautioned by the venue organizers that he should not sit on the gate separating the stage from the audience, he leapt into the aisles of the audience and said, “It’s fine, I was always going to walk amidst my people anyway.”
The Punjab Youth Club event celebrated the achievements and sacrifices of the Punjabi diasporic community in Hong Kong. The charitable institution has come together during times of need among members of Hong Kong’s Punjabi community, to pool funds and support for its members. Mr. Navtej Singh Atwal, Honorable Secretary of the Punjab Youth Club, presided over the event. Remarks were presented by the Club’s current President Mr. Gurdev Singh Ghalib, as well as Ms. Satwant Khanalia, Consul General of India in Hong Kong. Event emcee Jasdeep Sagar outlined contributions that the Club has made to emergency medical expenses for members of the community who were unable to pay for the care they needed, and applauded the club for fostering a supportive Punjabi community in Hong Kong. The Club sponsors learning opportunities for Hong Kong youth to connect with Punjabi culture, including free Punjabi language classes, martial arts lessons, and cultural events. Sunday afternoon’s event featured a dance performance by Hong Kong’s Bhangra team, Funjabi HK, featuring group founder and coach Harry Baath and senior members Jaswinder Kaur, Ramandeep Kaur, and Sukhwinder Singh, and including a dance feature accompanying Grewal as he performed his top hit “Ticketan.”
Before beginning his set, Grewal invoked generations of ancestors in Punjab when he exhorted the young people in the audience, “You have had such remarkable achievements; many of you now attend formidable educational institutions. Make sure you never forget the sacrifices that were made back in Punjab for you to attain your education, and accomplish the great things that you have.” At another point he shared, “I met someone yesterday who said he’s been following my journey ever since I ‘changed.’ It may seem I have changed because more people know my name now. But I have not changed. The higher I climb, the lower I stoop—I still sing at the wedding in the village just as readily as I accept an invitation to perform in Canada or Hong Kong.” Grewal invited the audience to participate in the celebration of Baisakhi with joy and humility, being proud and grateful while remembering their roots. His words hearkened back to the first Baisakhi, where Guru Gobind Singh addressed his new Khalsa, envisioned as a casteless community: “I wish you all to embrace one creed and follow one path, obliterating all differences of religion. Let the four Hindu castes, who have different rules laid down for them…abandon them altogether and…mix freely with one another. Let no one deem himself superior to another” (Singh, A History of the Sikhs, 82).
This year’s Mehak Punjab Di was dedicated to the late Mr. Jassi Tugal Wala, author and founding member of the Punjab Youth Club. Jassi Tugal Wala served on the Club’s management committee since its founding in 2000, including as a member of the organizing committee of this year’s event before his sudden passing. The 2024 event was held in honor of his memory. The celebration would not have been possible without the largesse of sponsors Mrs. Purviz Rusy Shroff, Managing Director of Ruttonjee Estates Continuation, and Dr. Harindarpal Singh Banga, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Caravel Group. The organizing committee worked tirelessly to make the event happen, chaired by Mr. Parminder Singh Grewal and including committee members Mr. Jagtar Singh Gill, Mr. Kashmir Singh Sohal, Mr. Deep Gill, Mr. Bobby Malhi, Mr. Billu Deol, Ms. Sukhwant Aulakh, and Mr. Gurcharan Singh Ghalib, who generously gave their time and energies to bring the celebration to life.
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About the Author | Ratna Gill is a Master of Public Policy graduate from the Harvard Kennedy School. She was born in Washington, D.C. and has been living in Hong Kong since 2022. Gill works to advance children’s and women’s rights in Asia and globally, including as a consultant for Indian education nonprofit Rocket Learning as well as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Her roots are in Ludhiana and Chandigarh, from where her father and mother hail. In 2008, she founded Gyaan Ghar Learning Centre, an after-school program for low-income youth in New Lajpat Nagar, Ludhiana.
