Dhadi is a performer of narrative ballads, often recounting Sikh history through song and spoken explanation. A dhadi jatha is a group of such performers — traditionally featuring the dhad drum and the sarangi — carrying stories of Sikh valour, sacrifice and moral instruction.
The dhadi tradition has a distinct storytelling role from a ragi jatha singing Gurbani kirtan: a ragi jatha renders Gurbani in raag, while a dhadi jatha recites history and exhortation, drawing on the vars of the Gurus’ era and the ballads of the Sikh martyrs. Dhadi performances remain a familiar feature of Nagar Kirtans and Gurdwara programmes, and recordings of dhadi vaaran are followed by sangat across the diaspora. Sikh Pro carries live Kirtan and the daily Hukamnama alongside its AI Gurbani search, so listeners can hold the wider tradition in one place.