Making his choice at a relatively young age, he began with the earnestness of
a devout learner - meditating the key concepts and exegetical texts, meeting legendary exponents and scholars, going over the Holy Scripture - the Guru Granth Sahib - endlessly. Gradually, the pursuit began to mature and yield fruit. He began to emerge as a compelling presence in the service of the great tradition.

He had the unique opportunity to train under the legendary percussionist, Ustad Bhai Arjan Singh Tarangar (1900-95), and learn the musical values of "raga-naad" and "laya-taal" which have been traditionally used in our kirtan parampara. His training continued under the tutelage of Ustad Mohinder Singh who nurtured his talent with great love and care. Eventually Bhai Baldeep Singh emerged as a leading percussionist and the only exponent today of "jori-pakhawaj" of our glorious tradition.

Lately, he has been accompanying the septuagenarian, Bhai Avtar Singh Ragi -
whose musical repertoire has effloresced, yet again, in the deep resonance of these nearly forgotten percussions.

The spiritual power of these percussion instruments has been acknowledged by
a maestro like ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar. Bhai Baldeep Singh has had the
honour of accompanying him in some of the major Indian concerts. His rendition of these old instruments won him not only rave reviews but ecstatic response as well.

Bhai Baldeep Singh is also undergoing intensive training in "naad-yoga" and
"dhrupad" from Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar for almost a decade. He has also
had the opportunity to be closely associated with the Talwandi School of Dhrupad Gayaki and to learn from Ustad M. Hafiz Khan of Lahore.

Bhai Baldeep Singh is also uniquely privileged to belong to the 13th generation of a family of illustrious ragis whose musical origins date back to the time of the great Sikh Gurus. His grand-uncles and teachers, Bhai Gurcharan Singh Raagi and Bhai Avtar Singh Raagi both under their father, legendary Baba Jwala Singh, who is widely revered as a saint-scholar and a prodigious musician of 20th century.

It was under the supervision of his grand-uncles that Bhai Baldeep learnt to authentically render over 500 traditional compositions of the Bani. Some of these ancient compositions are said to have been conceived by the Sikh Gurus themselves. Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Gurcharan Singh published the notations of these compositions in two volumes in 1977 at the invitation of Punjabi University, Patiala.

Bhai Baldeep Singh has also committed himself to the task of bringing the once-active string instruments back into the living tradition of the kirtan parampara. One of the instruments he has revived is the vintage "taus". He not only makes the instrument himself but has lately played the same in the company of Bhai Avtar Singh Raagi. The instrument dating back to the sixth Sikh Master used to be played till about 50 years back as an accompanying instrument with/by legends like Baba Jwala Singh, Bhai Batan Singh, Bhai Dal Singh and Bhai Moti.

Rooted in the tradition of Sikh scholarship and gurbani tradition, Bhai Baldeep Singh is a sought after teacher and musician. He has travelled widely to Europe, North America, Singapore and Australia, holding numerous workshops and giving concerts.

As the turbaned commander deftly maneuvered the modern warship RSS Endurance into the small channel to berth at Green Gate last February, Indian naval officers felt pride and admiration. For Lieutenant Colonel Sukhvinder Singh Chopra is commanding officer of the Singapore Navy warship, the first Indian to hold this position. RSS Endurance was a part of the recently concluded International Fleet Review.

The vessel had berthed to unload humanitarian and relief and donated by the Singapore public for Gujarat earthquake victims. The relief included $ 20,000 of medical supplies and 17 tonnes of rice, clothing and bedding.

"It was an honour to participate in the International Fleet Review. The Indian Navy conducted the mammoth and impressive feat in a professional manner right down to the minute details," said Lt. Col. Chopra, all praise for Mumbai’s hospitality and warmth.

Born and bread in Singapore to immigrant Indians, Lt. Col. Chopra commands the Singapore Navy’s newest and largest ship, "Singapore offered me all the opportunities to achieve my goals. Hard work and dedication are rewarded in disciplined Singapore," he said.

Another Indian in the Singapore Navy is Lieutenant Commander Dinesh Singh, on a two-year tenure as midshipman instructor for training cadets and junior officers in navigation. The multi-purpose RSS Endurance to meet Singapore’s transportation and training needs is designed indigenously. "We have utilized innovative maritime technology to build a ship that is optimized to meet our requirements and operated by a small crew," said Chopra.

The ship has 197 personal on board, including 65 crew members, 87 midshipmen, seven foreign officers and training instructors. The midshipmen are on board to undergo the midshipman sea training on navigation, communications, weapons, fire fighting and damage control. Lt. Col Chopra said the Singapore Navy invited foreign offers to interact with midshipmen to build rapport and strengthen defence relations with other navies. The seven foreign officers include nationals of Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand and United Kingdom.

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