Kirtan for Causes: We Are Love

Since Jan. 1, 2015, the U.S. has dropped 23,144 bombs on Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. An unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among them are nearly 21.3 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Manika Kaur sings sacred songs of true devotion. Her seva is offered up in musical form, and her mission is to heal the world with her voice, her ‘Kirtan for Causes’. Born in Australia and now resident in Dubai, Manika’s charitable work focuses on the Northern Indian region of rural Punjab. One hundred percent of the revenue from her music career is directly channeled into the work of ‘Kirtan for Causes’ which funds education and construction projects. Manika’s work through her foundation and her support of other foundations such as The SOS Initiative, Akal Academies, and Baru Sahib within Punjab has helped to sponsor and educate over 2000 children. Currently, the foundation is building homes for its most vulnerable participants. Manika travels to the Punjab every year to visit the families she supports and develop strategies with them for the next year’s work. Her first album Bandhanaa (2014) was made in collaboration with bhangra legend Sukhbir Singh.

The sales of this album raised over a 1,000,000 AED (approx. over 210,000 pounds) which were directly donated to the construction of the Guru Nanak Darbar in Dubai. The land for the Gurudwara in Jebel Ali was gifted to the Sikh community by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum. Manika’s 2009 music video for the track ‘Maagnaa’ from this album has been viewed over 2,000,000 times on YouTube. Bandhanaa was praised for its fresh take on kirtan and Manika was given a Sikh Channel Award ‘in recognition of outstanding services to the Sikh community.’

In 2013 Manika released a music video for her track ‘Guru Ram Das Rakho Sarnaee’ which has received over 4.5 million views worldwide and was awarded ‘Best Short Film’ at the 2013 Sikhlens (Sikh Arts and Film Festival). Her second album I Bow To You Waheguru (2015) featured multi-award winner OBE Talvin Singh and followed with a sell-out show at London’s Union Chapel. The album placed kirtan in the World Music Charts Europe for the first ever time and garnered rave reviews (PopMatters, Songlines Magazine, BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio London). Recently Manika was invited to sing kirtan at ‘Houses of Parliament’ in London and was also presented with ‘The Sikh Award for Sikhs in Entertainment.’ At the core, Manika’s music expresses her deep love for Waheguru (Sanskrit word meaning ‘The Dispeller of Darkness.’ Using kirtan to explore the beauty of faith, her work affects real change in the rural Punjab and spreads her message of peace world-over. #wearelove #nomorewars #stopairstrikes #weareone #aleppo

Her second album I Bow To You Waheguru (2015) featured multi-award winner OBE Talvin Singh and followed with a sell-out show at London’s Union Chapel. The album placed kirtan in the World Music Charts Europe for the first ever time and garnered rave reviews (PopMatters, Songlines Magazine, BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio London).