ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>&#7692H&#256&#7692&#298</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT=" H *"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279&#7692H&#256&#7692&#298, one who sings <i>v&#257rs</i> or ballads to the accompaniment of a musical instrument called <i>&#7693ha&#7693</i>, a drumlet held in the palm of one hand and played with the fingers of the other. A concomitant of <i>&#7693ha&#7693</i> is the <i>s&#257ra&#7749g&#299</i>, a stringed instrument. <i>&#7692h&#257&#7693&#299s</i>, patronized by chiefs and princes. eulogized the deeds of valour of the members of the families they served or of popular folk heroes. In the <i>Dasam Granth</i> (Charitra 405), their origin is traced back to the mythological combat between Mah&#257k&#257l and Su&#257sv&#299rya, the first ancestor of the <i>&#7693h&#257&#7693&#299s</i> being born of the sweat of the former. Although the institution of <i>&#7693h&#257&#7693&#299</i> dates back to time immorial and Gur&#363 N&#257nak (1469-1539) has recorded himself in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib as a <i>&#7693h&#257&#7693&#299</i> singing praises of the Supreme Lord, yet history mentions Bakhsh&#363 (d. 1535) who was patronized first by R&#257j&#257 M&#257n Si&#7749gh Tomar (1486-1516) of Gwalior and after his death by the kings of K&#257liñjar and Gujr&#257t, as the first <i>&#7693h&#257&#7693&#299</i>. He is also credited with the invention of a new <i>r&#257ga</i> which he named Bah&#257dur &#7788o&#7771&#299 after the name of Sult&#257n Bah&#257dur of Gujr&#257t, who was his patron during the last years of his life. In the Sikh tradition, <i>&#7693h&#257&#7693&#299s</i> have flourished since the days of Gur&#363 Hargobind (1595-1644) who engaged some leading exponents of the art to recite heroic balladry at Sikh assemblies. The two names recorded in old chronicles are those of Abdullah and Natth&#257, of the village of Sursi&#7749gh, in present-day Amritsar district. Among the leading <i>&#7693h&#257&#7693&#299s</i> of the time of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh are mentioned M&#299r Chhab&#299l&#257 Mushk&#299 and Natth Mall. &#7692h&#257&#7693&#299s have continued to be popular and at larger Sikh <i>d&#299v&#257ns</i>, especially honouring the memory of heroes and martyrs, they are listened to avidly as they render in ringing folk tunes their deeds of gallantry and sacrifice. Natth Mall, who also composed a <i>v&#257r</i> entitled <i>Amar N&#257m&#257</i>, originally in Persian and later translated into Punjabi by Dr Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh, is said to have been in the train of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh at the time of his journey to the South.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh, trans. , Nath Mall's <i>Amar N&#257m&#257</i>. Amritsar, 1953<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Part&#257p Si&#7749gh Gi&#257n&#299<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>