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Good morning. Earlier this week, the Brit Awards celebrated its 40th anniversary through powerful musical performances and artists making social commentary through songs and lyrics. Music has always been an effective way of conveying emotions and concepts which would otherwise be tricky to express, with songs about heartbreak or lost loves being a good example. In the Sikh faith, music plays a fundamental role in worship. Virtually all of the verses within the Sikh scriptures are set to ‘raags’, namely an Indian classical music structure about how to build a melody. It’s different to the Western music system in that a single raag incorporates scale, tone and tune all as one. It’s not set down in sheet music but as a system of improvisation, allowing various human emotions to be expressed. Some raags are used to share a mood of peace and serenity, whilst others evoke feelings of bravery and valour. The Sikh scriptures are a collection of writings by the Sikh gurus as well as Hindu and Muslim saints from medieval India, and the raags were seen as a way of enhancing understanding of the faith’s teachings, of pulling at the heartstrings as well as educating the mind. Just as hearing a song is very different to reading its lyrics, the raags are there to give context and create the right mood for the verses. For centuries, Muslim musicians played stringed instruments called rebabs to accompany the singing of Sikh verses at the Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple, the central Sikh shrine in Amritsar. Their skills helped ensure that the traditional musical heritage of Sikhs remained strong. Sadly, the Partition of Punjab in 1947 meant that the raags became largely forgotten as the vast majority of Muslims left Amritsar for the newly formed Pakistan, leaving behind unskilled musicians who found rebabs difficult to play and who turned to harmoniums as easier alternatives. Whilst some have worked hard to keep the rababi tradition alive, most Sikhs today find themselves emotionally separated from elements of their teachings by not being able to understand the musical system the scriptures are based on. The fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev, encapsulates this well with his words: “Without music, how can one dance? Without a voice, how can one sing? Without strings, how can the rebab be played? Without the name of the Almighty, all affairs are in vain.” For me, music is an integral part of culture and identity, yet many of us will never think that when we hear a song. We all know if we like a tune, but I think it’s important to also appreciate where it’s come from. Music doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and in the absence of context, meanings can sadly be misunderstood or even lost.