The Punjabi
language and Bhangra dance is gaining popularity worldwide
Los Angeles, February 12, 2008
Gary Singh/Santosh Kumari
Last week, news paper such as "The times of India"
in India and other media worldwide wrote under
the heading of :
Balwant Sanghera, president, Punjabi Language
Education Association, (PLEA) wrote: It is great news for well-
wishers of Punjabi that this language has gained a place of prominence
at the international level. According to available information,
Punjabi ranks 9th or 10th from top out of a total of 6,000 languages
recognized internationally by the United Nations. It has been
reported that close to 150 million Punjabi speakers are spread
out in about 125 countries around the globe.....Read
More
After freedom of the country:
- The politician had damaged the Punjabi Boli. In "Punjabi
Suba lehar" hindus in Punjab were encouraged to say their
mother language was hindi and propaganda machine or media said
that Punjabi belonged to Sikh's only. This was totally wrong
when Punjabi language belongs to Northern part (now Punjab India,
Punjab Pakistan)
- Secondly, 1984 attack on Golden Temple, Amritsar
- Thirdly, 2% Sikh who feels that Punjabi belongs to Sikhs only.
Their propaganda is that there is great danger to punjabi Boli
In recent times, however, the definition has
been broadened to include also emigrants of Punjabi descent who
maintain Punjabi cultural traditions, even when 2nd generation
they no longer speak the language.
Secondly, electronic technology brought a big change- Bhangra
is one of the many Punjabi musical art forms that is increasingly
being listened to in the west and is becoming a mainstream favorite.
Punjabi music is being used by western musicians, in many ways,
such as mixing it with other compositions to produce award-winning
music. In addition, Punjabi Classical music is increasingly becoming
popular in the west due to the beauty of sounds of the Punjabi
language and its composition
Bhangra-
Bhangra has always been a mixed event, with Sikhs, Hindus and
Muslims all coming together regardless of which nation they may
be representing. In every marriage, party, university or in social
events, NRI population became crazy about Bhangra dance.
Look another example: Bhangra Fusion! Sharon for another
workshop in the Seattle area.
The truly unique attraction of this workshop was
how Sharon has blended Bhangra into the improvisational tribal
belly dance we already know and love. It’s the fusion that’s
so intoxicating! As different as the Bhangra moves are from what
tribal dancers may be used to, Sharon and inFusion Tribal have
adapted them and blended them in such a unique way as to perfectly
compliment our existing tribal skills. And the high energy and
connectedness Sharon fostered throughout the class was just amazing.
Everyone left the workshop sweaty, tired, and smiling from ear-to-ear,
singing the praises of the incredibly fun time they had. I, along
with other attendees, am lobbying Sharon for another workshop
in the Seattle area.
Sharon’s class was so popular that registration was full
within days after registration opened, months before the event
date! I ended up having my name on a wait list and was lucky enough
to be squeezed in just before the workshop began; unfortunately
not everyone was so lucky. The demand for this workshop
just proves how hot Bhangra Fusion is right now!
Except Punjabis in Punjab, some of the major subgroups of the
Punjabis in India include: Ahirs, Aroras, Banias, Bhatias, Brahmins,
Chhimbas, Gujjars, Jats, Kalals/Ahluwalias, Kambojs, Khatris,
Labanas, Nais, Rajputs, Sainis, Sansis,Sidhus,Soods and Tarkhans/Ramgarhias.
Most of these subgroups can be further sub-divided into clans
and family groups.
Punjabis are found primarily in the Punjab region of Pakistan
and Northern India. In Pakistan, Punjabis comprise the largest
ethnic group at roughly 44% of the total population and reside
predominantly in the province of Punjab. In India, Punjabi-speaking
people can be found across the greater Punjab region which now
comprises the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and
Delhi and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Besides these, large
communities are also found in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir
and the states of Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh.
There are a number of Punjabi emigrant communities scattered
around the world, especially in the United Kingdom, Canada, the
United States, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Persian Gulf countries,
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
Punjabis are ethno-linguistically and culturally related to the
other Indo-Aryan peoples of South Asia. There are an estimated
120 million Punjabis around the world.
The Punjab region, which has been host to some of the oldest civilizations
in the world including one of the world's first and oldest civilizations,
The Indus Valley Civilization. The Punjabi identity is primarily
cultural, ethnic and linguistic, with Punjabis being those whose
first language is Punjabi, an Indo-Aryan tongue.
Allama Iqbal internationally famous Punjabi poet and scholar in
deep thought; The picture earned him the Famous title of "The
Thinker"
Punjabi Poetry is renowned for its extremely deep meaning, beautiful,
exciting and hopeful use of words. The poetry is one of the deepest
insights into the Punjabi mindset. The large number of Punjabi
poetry masterpieces are being translated throughout the world
into many languages
Indian Punjabis tend to correspond to various caste criteria
with the Sikhs showing more unity overall. Most of East Punjab's
(today's Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh)
Muslims left for West Punjab in 1947. However, a small community
still survives today, mainly in Malerkotla, the only Muslim princely
state among the seven that formed the erstwhile Patiala and East
Punjab States Union(PEPSU). The other six (mostly Sikh) states
were: Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Faridkot, Kapurthala and Kalsia.
The Punjab region within India maintains a strong influence
on the culture of India and the perceived culture of India towards
the rest of the world. Numerous Bollywood film productions use
the Punjabi language within its songs and dialogues as well as
traditional dances and instruments such as the bhangra and the
tabla. Prime Ministers of India including Gulzarilal Nanda and
Inder Kumar Gujral in the past, and Dr. Manmohan Singh at present,
are Punjabis, as are numerous players in the Indian cricket team
(both past and present including Bishen Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev,
Mohinder Amarnath, Navjot Sidhu, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh
etc.).
The rhythm and beat of Punjabi folk music is simple. The rhythmic
patterns are determined by the day-to-day activities of the villagers,
the sound of the grinding stone, the drone of the spinning wheel,
the creaking of the Persian wheel, the beat of the horse’s
hooves etc. These rhythms refine into symmetrical pattern form
the basis of the entire folk music of the Punjab.
There is a wide spread variation in the tunes and melodies of
different regions of the Punjab. Boli is popular all over the
Punjab. Even in one area the same song is sung differently by
different groups. This element of flexibility in Punjabi folk
music adds a lot of variety to it.
