Satta Doom (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

late 16th to early 17th century), also spelt as Satta Dum, was a drummer and author of eight verses found within the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib (, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth (), its first rendition, w ...

Biography

He was born a Muslim in a Doom-

Mirasi The Mirasi (; ; ) are a community found in North India and Pakistan. They are folklore tellers and traditional singers and dancers of a number of communities. The word "mirasi" is derived from the Arabic word (ميراث) ''mīrās'', which mea ...

family. He started playing music for the Sikhs during the guruship of

Guru Angad Guru Angad (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552; , ) was the second of the ten Sikh gurus of Sikhism. After meeting Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, becoming a Sikh, and serving and working with Nanak for many years, Nanak gave Lehna the name A ...

. He was a drummer whilst his brother, Balvand Rai, was a rababi (rebec player). Some sources describe him as a rababi, like his brother, rather than a drummer. Other sources do not ascribe a brotherly blood relation between Satta Doom and Balvand Rai.'''' They would play

kirtan Sikh ''kirta''n with Indian harmoniums and '' Kenya.html" ;"title="tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya">tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s) ''Kirtana'' (; ), also rendered as ''Kiirtan'', ''Kirt ...

at the Sikh gurus' '' durbar'' (court). At some point, him and his brother abandoned the company and employment of the Guru but returned after facing hardships, where they were forgiven. They then wrote hymns for penance for their past mistakes, which would form part of the Adi Granth. The compositions he co-composed with his brother Balvand can be found on pages 966–968 of the Guru Granth Sahib under the title of ''Ramkali ki Vaar Rai Balwand tatta Satte doom akhi''. In his hymns, he emphasized the continuity of the guruship from Nanak to Angad, referring to the latter as having been sat on the ''takht'' (throne) of Nanak. It further praises the first five gurus of the Sikhs.

References

{{Sikhism Guru Granth Sahib Sikh writers Performers of Sikh music 17th-century musicians

Biography

See also

References