Punjabi Roots

Punjab lay at the gateway to India for Greek, Persian, Afghan, Mughal and British invaders. Traditionally folk lyrics recall the exploits of those who stood up against injustice. A spiritual sensibility was added as the Sikh religion took hold from the 1700s, with stories of saints and martyrs; Banda Singh Bahadur, Hari Singh Nalwa and Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Gurus, Saints and Sufi Pirs ranked alongside the warriors, and later the freedom fighters of the 19th and 20th centuries, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Bhagat Singh or Udham Singh were honoured. These romantic legends were kept alive by their cultural significance and also by the historical tradition of lyric writing. For strategic political reasons, the Imperial British authorities encouraged farmers from the East to cultivate land in Lahore, Sialkot, Gujeranwala, Gujrat and Lyallpur (Faislabad). Becoming affluent, they infused their songs of struggle with an optimism which survived Partition and laid the foundations of the bombastic lyrics of modern Bhangra. Visions of young chadar-clad Punjabi farmers looking proudly over their lands on horseback or atop a tractor breathed life into Bhangra music. In the 1960s Dev Thrikeanwala revived the romantic classics of Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah; tragic tales of love and sacrifice that were written in Bulleh Shah’s Qissah (story) or Kaffian (eulogy) style. A new generation of folk singers - Kuldip Manak, Lal Chand,Yamla Jatt, Assa Singh Mastana, Surinder Kaur, Prakash Kaur and Mohammed Saddiq took up the lyrics and the heritage. These were later joined by Ramta, K Deep & Jagmohan Kaur and Surinder Shinda, bringing classic folk songs to life in small theatre shows and massive open air concerts typified by the cacophonous sound of tannoy loud speakers. Comments (1) Lovemeet Singh Matharu said:   Putt Sardaran Dee........Buuurrrraaaaaaaaa! February 12, 2008 Write comment Name Comment Add Comment