Ragi (Sikhism)

A Ragi (Punjabi: ਰਾਗੀ; rāgī) is a Sikh musician who plays hymns (shabads) in different ragas as prescribed in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

[2] Within the central room, there is a dedicated space beside the sacred scripture for the rāgī jathā (ragi ensemble) on an elevated stage.

[2] The ragi jatha members tend to wear simplistic clothes, usually white or off-white long shirts and pants.

[2] Ragis are paid a regular salary whilst employed at a gurdwara but they can also perform at private events for extra income.

[2] The most renowned and well-received performer of the "traditional" ragi kirtan style is Bhai Harjinder Singh Srinagar Vale.

[2] However, the truly traditional ragi kirtan style, as found in earlier times, employed stringed instruments rather than the now commonplace harmonium.

[2] Traditional Sikhs attempting to revive the more historical expressions of their music, such as by playing instruments like the rabab, saranda, and taus, are referred to as the gurmat sangīt genre of kirtan.

[2] According to the late Bhai Avtar Singh, a preeminent ragi of his time, the most important criteria for becoming a good kirtankar was first living a life in line with the principles set out in the Guru Granth Sahib, and then an education in its prescribed ragas.

However, they are not a privileged elite as some today see them -- rather, the ragi tradition was meant to bring musical experience of the Sikh scriptures to a layperson, without a middleman (or woman).

[6] Bhai Sham Singh is renowned for his long service as a ragi at the Golden Temple, serving as a kirtan performer for some 70 years around the later 19th and early 20th century.

Music is often not sung in the correct raag and often does not use the Guru's instruments but rather relies heavily on the harmonium, brought by the British colonizers.