When Nusrat came to Slough

Virinder Kalra joins the Bookclub in conversation with Pritpal Singh to explore the ways in which Nusrat’s Qawaali engaged with other spiritual music texts.

Virinder Kalra

Virinder Kalra is Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick and specialises in several areas including racism and ethnicity in relation to popular culture and policy. He has published numerous books and academic articles including 'Sacred and Secular music: A postcolonial approach'. Having grown up in Bradford, and being raised within the Sikh scholarly ‘Nirmala’ tradition, Pritpal Singh spent a number of years advising U.K. academic institutions on Sikh sociology-religious issues. Currently residing in the Middle East, Pritpal has contributed to a number of projects to revive Sikh musical traditions.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was undoubtedly one of the most popular Qawaali singers of South-Asia and thus in 1989, Nusrat performed at Slough Gurdwara singing texts from the Sikh tradition. Virinder Kalra joins the Bookclub in conversation with Pritpal Singh to explore the ways in which Nusrat’s Qawaali engaged with other spiritual music texts. He will look at how the space of diaspora enabled interactions across religious boundaries and created the conditions to re-imagine a nineteenth century Punjab in which the role of musicians was not delimited by their religious identities.

Buy ‘Sacred and Secular Musics: A Postcolonial Approach’ here >>

Mallika Kaur

Mallika Kaur will talk about her recent book that tells the unusual sides to Punjab's conflict story.

Haroon Khalid

Haroon Khalid is an anthropologist and author of four books. Walking with Nanak is his highly rated third book and is a result of a lifetime’s fascination with the life of Guru Nanak. In the words of The Hindustan Times : “Khalid manages to bring the founder of Sikhism to life, manages to walk with him, and manages to take readers along.”

Prof Nikki Guninder Kaur Singh

Prof Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh drawing upon her work on the Guru Granth Sahib will discuss how the female was exalted by the Gurus to ensure equality.

Kim Wagner

This talk explores the little-known history of the ‘Kooka’ Massacre.

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