Savour the beautiful voice of Amrita Kaur as she presents Bhai Gurdas’s (1551–1636) vaaran ‘Ek Baba Akaal Roop, Dooja Rababi Mardana’, accompanied by Momin Khan, Patri Satish Kumar, Surdarshan Chana, Giridhar Udupa and Gurdain Rayatt. Amrita Kaur’s sweet and melodious vocals captivate the audience as she performs this pure and uplifting shabad, narrating Guru Nanak’s voyage to Baghdad with remarkable clarity.

This piece forms part of Bhai Gurdas’s Vaaran, a collection of poetic compositions that depict significant events in the early development of the Sikh dharam, including Guru Nanak’s visit to Baghdad. Over 25 years, Guru Nanak undertook four extensive journeys, each a purposeful mission to share a message of humanity, peace and harmony through devotion to Waheguru. Throughout his travels he engaged with spiritual leaders from diverse traditions, conversing with them about their beliefs and often challenging them on deeper spiritual truths.

These encounters—together with his later role in establishing spiritual community institutions such as Langar and Sangat—helped shape many of Guru Nanak’s sacred hymns, now enshrined within the Guru Granth Sahib.

TRANSLATION:

dharee neesaanee kaousi dee makay andari pooj karaaee
Wooden sandal (of Baba Nanak ) was kept as a memory and he was worshipped in Mecca

jidai jaai jagati vichi baabay baajhu n khaalee jaaee
Go anywhere in the world, you would not find a place bereft of the name of Baba Nanak

ghari ghari baabaa poojeeai hindoo mousalamaan guaaee
Without discrimination of Hindu or Muslim, in every house, the Baba is revered

dhiri baabaa gaiaa bagadaadi no baahari jaai keeaa asadaanaa
From Mecca Baba went to Baghdad and stayed outside the city

iku baabaa akaal roupoo doojaa rabaabee maradaanaa
Firstly, Baba himself was in the form of Timeless and secondly, he had his companion Mardana, the rebeck player

ditee baangi nivaaji kari sounni samaani hoaa jahaanaa
For namaz (in his own style), Baba gave call, listening to which the whole world went into absolute silence

sounn mounni nagaree bhaee daykhi peer bhaiaa hairaanaa
The whole city became quiet and lo! to behold it, the pir (of the town) also got wonderstruck

vaykhai dhiaanu lagaai kari iku dhakeeru vadaa masataanaa
Observing minutely he found (in the form of Baba Nanak) an exhilerated faquir

pouchhiaa dhiri kai dasatageer kaoun dhakeeru kisakaa ghariaanaa
Pir Dastegir asked him, which category of faquir you belong to and what is your parentage

naanak kali vichi aaiaa rabu dhakeeru iko pahichaanaa
(Mardana told) He is Nanak, who has come into kaliyug, and, he recognises God and His faquirs as one

dharati aakaas chahoo disi jaanaa
He is known in all the directions besides earth and sky

About the Project  

Performance Date: 6 April 2025  
Venue: Barbican Centre, London  
This project explored how Guru Nanak’s timeless message of equality, compassion and spiritual awakening continues to resonate. Music was central to his mission—he travelled with Bhai Mardana, a Muslim rababi, using song to share spiritual wisdom beyond caste and creed. Darbar honoured this tradition by bringing musicians of diverse faiths onto one stage, spreading unity and peace.  

 

Credits: - 

Musicians 

Aruna Sairam (carnatic vocals) 
Zeeshan Ali (sufi vocals) 
Bhai Anantvir Singh (kirtania) 
Amrita Kaur (kirtania) 
Momin Khan (sarangi) 
Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam) 
Giridhar Udupa (ghatam) 
Surdarshan Chana  (tabla & jori) 
Gurdain Rayatt (tabla) 
Beibei Wang (da ga drum) 

 

Darbar Team:  

Sandeep Virdee OBE (Artistic Director) 
Simrat Lall (Darbar Festival Manager) 
María Guardiola (Festivals and Events Manager) 
Depesh Patel (Events Manager) 
Jamie Craven (Head of Design) 
Rahul Ravindran (Creative Video Editor) 
Sana Ejaz (Marketing Executive) 
Zahabiya Patharia (Marketing Executive) 
Christoph Bracher (Head of Sound) 

 

Filming Crew 

Pritpal Sagoo (Digital Consultant) 
Gurwinder Soor (Content Creator and Platform Manager) 
Tom Grancia (Technical Production) 
Carl Owen (Camera Operator) 
Chris Connel (Camera Operator) 
Anup Parmar (Camera Operator) 
Nick Morchang (Camera Operator) 

 

Technical Team 

Phil Jones (Front of House Sound) 
John Duckett (Sound Monitors) 
Mark Gardner (Lighting Designer) 
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Darbar believes in the power of Indian classical arts to stir and inspire. Since 2006, we have delivered live events, education, broadcasts and digital experiences, while supporting new talent from India and the UK. 

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