Kanwar Grewalਕੰਵਰ ਗਰੇਵਾਲ

Kanwar Grewal (born 1984) is a Punjabi Sufi singer and lyricist from Mehma Sawai village in Bathinda district. He rose to fame with the album Akhan (2013) and the song "Faqeera" in the film Ardaas (2016), and became one of the best-known voices of the 2020-21 farmers' protest with songs such as "Pecha" and "Ailaan".

Early life

Grewal was born into a Jatt Sikh farming family in Mehma Sawai, a village in Bathinda district, Punjab. Indian Express and News18 both name the village; DESIblitz gives his parents as Beant Singh Grewal and Manjeet Kaur Grewal, and says he has one elder sister.

He began learning music in Class 6, and his performances on Punjab's heritage became popular while he was still at school. He completed his graduation at SBC College in Kotkapura and a postgraduate degree in music at Punjabi University, Patiala. Outlook describes him as coming from a farmer family in Bathinda, and he has said he knows the value of the produce and the effort behind it, even without working in the fields himself.

Career

Grewal's first album, Akhan, came out in 2013 and was an instant hit; his second, Jogi Nath, was also well received. A Tribune feature on Punjab's Sufi singers described him singing at Meera Ka Darbar in Malerkotla, refusing to move to the city or change his simple dress. His singles "Fakeera", "Mastaana Jogi" and "Maaf Kari Rabba" brought him a wide audience.

His Punjabi film debut came through the song "Faqeera" in the 2016 film Ardaas. In 2018 he received a certificate of appreciation from the province of British Columbia in Canada for promoting the Punjabi language, and the same year the jury choice award for best Punjabi singer. In 2020 he won a best Sufi singer award.

Farmers' protest songs

Between August 2020 and February 2021, Grewal released ten protest songs during the agitation against the three farm laws. The first, "Eko Hi Bana", came out on 21 August 2020. "Ailaan" followed on 10 October 2020 and was viewed more than six million times before it was taken down from YouTube in February 2021 on the Union government's directions; he released "Ailaan Fer Taun" two days later. His biggest hit of the movement was "Pecha", sung with Harf Cheema and released on 21 November 2020, days before the Delhi Chalo march, and became an anthem of the protest. His other songs from the period include "Itihaas", "Aakhree Faisla" and "Jitega Punjab".

Personal life

Grewal married Karamjit Kaur of Muktsar Sahib in 2016, according to Indian Express. The Tribune feature noted that his wife and an older woman he calls Bebe lived in a small kutiya at the Malerkotla dargah, and quoted him crediting Bebe with changing his life.

Where is Kanwar Grewal from?

Grewal is from Mehma Sawai village in Bathinda district, Punjab, in the Malwa region. He studied in Kotkapura and Patiala.

What is Kanwar Grewal known for?

He is known as a Sufi singer for the album Akhan and the song "Faqeera", and for the farmers' protest anthems "Pecha" and "Ailaan".

Which university did Kanwar Grewal study at?

He completed a postgraduate degree in music at Punjabi University, Patiala, after graduating from SBC College in Kotkapura.