The Rhythm Divine

This week we visit the temples of two religious traditions which are often misunderstood or simply overlooked, the Sikhs and the Baha'is. They each have a rich tradition of devotional singing and they're celebrating major holy festivals this month.

Some weeks are definitely busier than others and that's particularly the case at the moment with the change of seasons, traditionally a time when many religions celebrate major festivals. And so I've found myself these past few weeks visiting the temples of the Sikhs and the Bahai's. They're both monotheistic, worshipping One God, and they're both celebrating major holy festivals this month and I thought you'd like to hear some of their music. And to do that we're going inside a Bahai House of worship, and a Sikh gurdwara or temple to hear singing and chanting of the Sikh scriptures.

So let's begin by taking a drive up to the northern beaches of Sydney and across into the hills of suburban Ingleside. There in the bushland near a national park is the nine-sided temple of the Australian Baha'is with its graceful white dome rising out of the surrounding trees.

There are 6 million Baha'is worldwide, with about 17 000 in Australia. Baha'is follow the teachings of a Persian nobleman Baha'u'llah who lived from 1817 to 1892 and is believed by Baha'is to be the most recent in the line of Messengers of God stretching back through history. The words of Baha'u'allah are used in many of the Baha'i songs including two that we'll hear in moment and they're usually sung in three main languages of English, Arabic and Farsi. They don't allow instruments in the House of Worship so a lot of Bahai sacred music is sung by unaccompanied choirs.

April is a significant month for Baha'is. Their holy festival of Ridvan begins at sunset on the 21st and last for 12 days commemorating Baha'u'llah's time in the garden of Ridvan in 1863 where he announced he was the promised prophet.

April is also a special month for Sikhs with their New Year starting next week around the 13 and 14th of April. The New Year festival Vaisakhi is doubly important because it also commemorates the year 1699, when Sikhism was born as a collective faith through the tenth Sikh Guru Goband Singh who formed the Khalsa, the Brotherhood so Saint Soldiers to oppose injustice and oppression. It's a day when Sikhs dedicate themselves to the teachings of their gurus and pledge their service to the community and to all faiths.

Sihks have a proud tradition of opposing caste and class distinctions, they believe in equality and they follow One God, Waheguru. The faith began in the Punjab region of India over 500 years ago and has now spread around the world with about 26 million followers, making it the sixth largest religion.

They wear a distinctive turban and worship in a Gurdwara. The Sikh Gurdwara in Glenwood in Western Sydney is massive and impressive, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and while I was there I wore a small gold-coloured turban as a sign of respect. I was also allowed to record some of prayers and singing of verses from the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. So we'll hear some of that now and then a studio recording of a shabad, a devotional song, Sikh scripture set to music, calling Sikhs to come together and sing the bani's, the sacred Sikh teachings.

Further Information

The Baha'is in Australia
The Baha'i Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions and came to Australia in 1920.

Sikhs in Australia
It is said that the first Indian had come to Australia as part of Captain Cook's ship, the first settlers in Australia. Some of the earliest Punjabi arrivals in Australia included Sardar Beer Singh, Johal who came in 1895 and Sardar Narain Singh Heyer, who arrived in 1898.

Sikh Gurudwara Parklea, Sydney
The Sikh Centre, where facilities such as Gurdwara Sahib (Sikh place of religious congregation and meditation), Sikh Youth Resource Centre, Senior Citizens Program etc are run, is located at 8 Meurants Lane Glenwood NSW 2768.

Image Gallery
Photos of Sikhs and Baha'is at worship and at their respective places of worship, the Sikh Gurdwara and the Baha'i House of Worship. From The Spirit of Things website.

The Year of Festivals: Sikhs and Baha'is
Vaisakhi, on the 14 April 2008, is the Sikh New Year festival and a commemoration of the origins of the Sikh religion in 1699. Gaiety and Guru history come together in the Southern Hemisphere's largest Sikh Gurdwara, located in Western Sydney. We also gather at a Baha'i Temple for their holiest festival, the 12-day celebration of Ridvan beginning 21 April 2008. The festival is named for the Garden of Ridvan outside of Baghdad where Baha'ullah, the founder of the Baha'i faith, stayed after being exiled by the Ottoman Empire. Broadcast on The Spirit of Things on ABC Radio National, 6 April 2008.

Music

CD title: Baha'i Temple Choir
Track title: God is Sufficient
Artist: Baha'i Temple Choir
Composer: T. Price & N. Fani
CD details: Baha'i Publications Australia 1998
URL: http://www.theheyday.com/whatis_bahai.php

CD title: Songs of the Ancient Beauty
Track title: Whither Can a Lover Go?
Artist: The Baha'i Chorale
Composer: G. Major
CD details: International Baha'i Audio-Visual Centre 1992 WMCD 001
URL: http://www.bahai.org/

CD title: Lakh khuseeaa Paatsaheeaa
Track title: Aawho Sikh Satgurur Key Pyareyo
Artist: Bhai Satwinder Singh Ji
Composer: B.S.Singh Ji
CD details: T-Series SNCD 01-5149

Presenter

Geoff Wood

Producer

Geoff Wood