Bhai Anantvir Singh Jiਭਾਈ ਅਨੰਤਵੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ

Some kirtan singers are known for sweetness; Bhai Anantvir Singh Ji is known for power. The Darbar Festival, Britain's festival of Indian classical music, describes him as a renowned kirtan exponent who has spent a lifetime taking the devotional music of his Punjabi heritage around the world, singing with a powerful, passionate vocal style. His music is founded on the practices of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, the Sikh tradition that keeps the exact words of the Guru Granth Sahib at the centre of the singing, sometimes building them into marathon all-night programmes of kirtan.

The Akhand Kirtani Jatha tradition

The Akhand Kirtani Jatha, often shortened to AKJ, is a Sikh jatha known for its congregational style of kirtan, in which the whole sangat joins the singing, and for the rainsbhai, the all-night kirtan session that runs from evening until dawn. Within that tradition the emphasis falls on the shabad itself: the words of Gurbani, sung with fervour, carried by simple, surging tunes that everyone can follow. Bhai Anantvir Singh Ji's singing belongs to this school, and SikhNet's Gurbani collection describes him the same way, as a kirtaniya who has dedicated his life to spreading the message of Gurbani through his kirtans.

Between Los Angeles and Amritsar

Darbar's profile records that he has lived in Los Angeles as well as Amritsar, and event listings in California also bill him as of Riverside, in the Los Angeles region. From those bases he tours constantly: India, Europe and North America, performing in gurdwaras across the global Sikh community. A single month in his diary shows the reach of that work: in November 2019 alone, his schedule spanned California, New Jersey, Mexico and Malaysia. In February 2026 he was among the guest ragi jathas invited to a three day Dharmic Jorh Mela and kirtan samagam at Guru Nanak Dwara in Phoenix, Arizona, alongside singers from Sacramento, Toronto and Portland.

Teaching as he tours

His touring is not only performance. Wherever he travels he delivers free kirtan workshops for the local sangat, and Darbar notes his plan to upload a free Learn Kirtan series to YouTube, so that students anywhere can learn from him. It is teaching in the spirit of the tradition itself: the AKJ style is deliberately one that the congregation can learn, join and carry home, and his workshops pass the tunes and the discipline of the jatha to a new generation of singers.

Recordings the sangat returns to

Online, his best known performance is Madhoo, a live recording sung with Giani Amolak Singh which has been watched more than three million times on YouTube; he has also appeared on Kirtan Studio, the filmed series of kirtan performances. SikhNet Play keeps a Gurbani Jukebox of his singing, gathering shabads such as Daras Tere Ki Pyaas Man Laagi, Hukami Varsan Lage Meha and Hum Baithe Tum Deho Aseesa, alongside his powerful singing of Chandi di Var and Rehraas Sahib, and meditative Waheguru simran recordings made for quiet remembrance.

On the Darbar Festival stage, 2025

In April 2025 he performed at the Darbar Festival's Guru Nanak's Message of Peace through Music, the festival's first interfaith concert, in London. The concert brought together a Sufi, bhajan and kirtan ensemble: Anantvir Singh sang alongside Gurinder Singh Batala, Amrita Kaur, Aruna Sairam and Zeeshan Ali, in a performance the festival describes as a profound expression of unity and devotion. It placed AKJ style kirtan on one of the world's leading stages for Indian classical music, in front of an audience far wider than a gurdwara congregation.

A voice for women in kirtan

Darbar also records that he has used social media to highlight the exclusion of women performers in some corners of kirtan, a stand that drew criticism from traditional elements of the AKJ, and that he remains undeterred, devoted full time to the music. His words, quoted by the festival, are simple: Sikh men cannot be silent, because, as he puts it, our daughters are depending on us to speak up. The position follows from the tradition's own congregational ideal, in which the whole sangat sings.

Why is Bhai Anantvir Singh Ji's kirtan linked to the Akhand Kirtani Jatha?

Because his vocal style is founded on the AKJ's musical practices: congregational singing built on the exact words of the Guru Granth Sahib, including the all-night rainsbhai programmes the jatha is known for. Darbar Festival's profile of him states this foundation directly, and his touring, workshops and recordings all work within that tradition.

Where can Bhai Anantvir Singh Ji's kirtan be heard?

In person, at the gurdwaras of India, Europe and North America that he tours throughout the year, and at festivals such as Darbar in London. Online, his live recording of Madhoo with Giani Amolak Singh has passed three million views on YouTube, he has appeared on Kirtan Studio, and SikhNet Play carries a Gurbani Jukebox of his shabads, Chandi di Var, Rehraas Sahib and simran recordings.