EAR TO THE GROUND
I just wanna give akaal (respect) to Coleridge for holding the fort. Like my partner Gizmo stated ... We started this "ish" back in the day and were being laughed at. Now look at "diggers" tryin' to get in on the ca$h money
. <----------- probably won't work
We Don't Play. Bhangra is here. It ain't goin' nowhere, it can't be stopped now ... 'cause its BadBoy for life. Keep your eyes open "prog" heads and keep your ears to the ground.
*realize*
According to a folk tradition, Bhangra comes from Bhaungra, which means action on land, activity on land. Whatever one does on land, with land is Bhangra. Bhangra through dance expresses all human endeavor with nature and with each other. Whatever one does for production and reproduction of life, Bhangra reflects it through dance.
According to another tradition, farmers and their families, in celebration of a good harvest drink Bhang, (Siva's herb), and dance, this dance is called Bhangra. This dance is in thanksgiving to mother earth, Bhaun, and celebration of their own endeavor and effort, their own hardwork and toil. Peasants and farmers in Punjab are seen even now at Vaisakhi, the first day of harvest drinking and dancing, doing Bhangra in the fields, villages and lanes.
Another folk tradition claims that the whole creation was started by Mahadev-Siva, by the three beats Da, Da, Da from his hand drum - Damroo. Everything in this cosmos came into being with these three beats. Bhangra also started with these beats, from Bhu- to be. It is for this reason that even today the Dholi, (Drummer), starts Bhangra with three beats. Since Bhangra has been with creation right from the beginning, it also reflects Maya - the world and its Awagaman, (coming into being and fading away). This tradition is closer to the classical Indian tradition according to which, Jag and Jog, (world and Yoga), Geet and Sangeet, (Music), Nrtya and Naach, (Dance), are creations of Siva and that's why he is also called Natraj-king of all dancers. Bhangra through dance shows relations of humans with nature and relations of humans with each other.
Punjabis are seen doing Bhangra in preparation of war with Alexander under the banner of Porus. In these Bhangras they show their preparation, valor and determination to cut the enemy into pieces. During the times of Gorakhnath, the great yogi, Punjabis did Bhangra at weddings, Melas, (fairs), and other occasions.
Bhangra is an integral part of Punjab and its people. Through its movements and actions it reveals the zits-im-leben, the life situation of Punjab. It is for this reason that it is called the Shaan of Punjab. An old Bhangra Boli says :-
Bhangra tells the tale of the Punjabis and especially the life in villages. It shows how a day begins with dawn, farmers get their oxens and implements ready to go to the fields. They toil on the land by tilling it, leveling it, weeding it, watering it, sowing the seed, protecting it from animals and birds, harvesting it, loading it on the carts and taking it to the Mandi, fighting with Arhtiyas in the Mandi. Boliyan (lyrics) of Bhangra describe all this graphically.
With the changing times the themes and stories acted out in Bhangra have also changed. With the rise of Patriarchy and Brahmanical order, only men started participating in Bhangra. Women were taken out of it and confined to the four walls of the house or doing chores such as bringing water from the well or taking food to the fields for men. This change is also reflected in Bhangra. In Bhangra scenes also, women are shown doing these chores such as churning the milk, going to the well, going to the fields with food for men. Under new conditions, when the ruination and exploitation of peasantry by excessive taxation by local kings and marauders invading Punjab became order of the day, Bhangras also depicted these conditions. During the time of Akbar, Dulla Bhatti and his friends are doing Bhangra to celebrate their revolt against Akbar. Since then Eulogy of Dulla Bhatti, Jaimal Fatta and their exploits against Akbar became integral part of Bhangra as reflected in the Boliyan.
Boliyan, (lyrics), describe conditions in verse, and the actions of Bhangra act these out. Boliyan describe conditions of the people, farmers and villagers. For instance that part of Heer Waris Shah has become integral part of Bhangra, in which he describes the break of dawn in a village:-
Birds chirp, traveler afoot, milk is being churned
Blessed morning with its red dawn has awakened everyone with its tickle
One is up and churning, another washing the churning stick
Men ready with their oxen and plough to tackle the land
Women are grinding grain for flour to make Rotis
Whole world is busy, young girls are spinning at the wheel.
Most of the Bhangras in Punjab start with this Boli, which describes life very graphically. Boliyan from Mirza Sahiban, Jugni, Chhalla and other folk songs have become part of Bhangra. They describe conditions of agriculturists, villagers, and their struggles in nature and society. After the occupation of Punjab by the British, Punjabi peasants gave rise to a movement called Pagrdi Sambhal Jatta, (Defend your dignity), to protest against the execssive revenue collection by the new rulers and their henchmen. This song became the song of the Punjabi peasantry and was sung in villages and towns. It also became part of Bhangra. Bhangra depicted the condition of peasants buried under the weight of debt, being born in debt and dyeing in debt. The Boli says:-
Our fate is imprisoned in the thick book
Of the money lender with a red ribbon.
Pagrdi Sambhal Jatta, Pagrdi Sambhal Oye
Loot Gya Maal Tera, Loot Gya Maal Oye
(Arise and take control of your turban, your dignity, you are being looted)
(You middleman, you are depraved
You yourself are thief and also are judge
You eat all that we produce with our toil
You are an evil fellow)
These Boliyan and other Boliyan from Jaago, (awakening), became part of Bhangra during the independence movement. Bhangras done by the students of Punjab University Lahore, Khalsa College Amritsar, DAV College Jullunder were expressions of their times. Bhangras performed at the Kisan rallies in Tobha Tek Singh, Gujranwala were well acclaimed and appreciated. These Bhangras expressed the spirit of their times. In these Bhangras new themes and elements such as tractors, thrashers, trains, trucks, motors, tubewells, going outside Punjab in search of employment were also evident. For instance the following Boliyan show the conditions of Punjab at this time:
(Oh you Drummer, my friend, play one more beat on the drum
Awaken my land which is asleep)
(Allah give us clouds, give us rain, Allah give us clouds)
(Oh my strong oxen, till the land well
We are going to sow weapons)
(Our land is like gold and water like silver
Bone breaking toil we do but still have nothing to show)
(The days to guard our crop from the birds, animals and thieves
Are over, look harvest time is here)
(They do not give a damn to us weak and poor
Justice is only for the strong and rich)
Partition of Punjab had its impact on Bhangra also. In west Punjab, it is said Bhangra has been reduced to minimum. When coeducation in East Punjab was started, men and women started doing Bhangra once again. But it has remained confined to the Bhangras of colleges in cities. The conditions of life in Punjab, in countryside were reflected in these Bhangras. The annual Bhangra championships held at the Punajb univetrsity Chandigarh, Punjabi University Patiala, Guru Nanak University Amritsar, produced and performed some of the best Bhangras. The Struggle for Punjabi Suba, struggle against prosperity levy, new technology, green revolution, Naxalbari movement, Morcha against Emergency, they all were reflected in these Bhangras. For instance, instead of using the bullock cart, grain is taken in a tractor trolley to the market. Bhangras depicted this changing world and relations. In the Bhangras of the villages and schools, these Bhangra deeply reflect the situation in Punjab in the last decade and half. Bhangras at Jor Melas, Chapar Mela, Roshni Mela, Guga Mela, wrestling Melas and other countryside festivals depict the tragic events of last few years. These Bhangras have popular themes of Dulla Bhatti and his fight against Akbar, Fight against Aurangzeb and valour of Punjabis against oppression.
In last few years commercialization of Bhangra began with the explosion of the entertainment industry. In the commercialized Bhangra, Bhangra has no relation to Bhaun, land and the life of which it is an expression. It is marketed as a product for entertainment. It is a commodity, bought and sold in the global entertainment market. These Bhangras have no theme or story to tell, of a people and their land. It no longer is connected with Bhaun. It does not reflect their weal or woe, joy or celebrations.
Abroad this Bhangra was marketed by music corporations as a source of revenue in the form of cassettes and CDs. South Asians abroad, who have been victims of racism and racist violence and denied their national and cultural heritage, welcomed this as a step towards asserting and affirming their culture and identity. Commercial Bhangra groups came into being in UK and other places and performed this commercial Bhangra. But Several Bhangra groups also came into being in UK, US, Canada and other places whom wanted to maintain the integrity and dignity of Bhangra and Punjab. Some of these group wanted to go back to some pristine Bhangra with a feeling of nostalgia. Others wanted to develop Bhangra under the new conditions of Diaspora, expressing these new conditions in actions and Boliyan of Bhangra. They depicted the conditions of Punjabis abroad and their struggles in new lands for dignity and livelihood:
