NEW MEXICO: The Hacienda de Guru Ram Das community in Espanola, New Mexico USA welcomed last week the Akal Academy Jatha, a student musical group from Akal Academy, Baru Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, India. Baru Sahib is the headquarters for the Kalgidhar Society, a spiritual non-profit organization dedicated to uplifting humanity through value-based education, healthcare, and social services.

The President of The Kalgidhar Society, Baba Iqbal Singh accompanied the Jatha with the Vice President of the Society, Dr Khem Singh Gill. The Akal Academy Jatha dresses in full Sikh bana, with turbans and kirpans, and comprises young women ranging in age from 12 years to 28 years. They performed kirtan on Guru Gobind Singh's birthday celebration for the Sangat, singing selections from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth in classical Raag, while playing traditional classical Sikh instruments, including the sarangi, the rabab and the taus.

The community at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das deeply appreciated the beauty and artistry of their kirtan. The Akal Academy Jatha's visit to Espanola, New Mexico was a short stop in a very rigorous tour across the US and Canada that the Jatha takes under Baba Iqbal Singh's guidance and leadership every year.

The student group, during their winter break at the Academy, travels to share kirtan and the story of the Kalgidhar Society's commitment to education and seva with the Sikh community. The Kalgidhar Society has plans to open 150 schools in Northern India to help renew the spiritual roots of the Sikhs community in India in the next five years, as well as a University system at Baru Sahib which is already underway.