Question regarding a song in a performance

[Raghav]

Hey everyone, now before I continue, I just want to say this is not to stir up any sort of conflict. It is something that i've been curious to know for some time. I was a lot younger at the time, and was afraid to ask this question, as I did not know much about any of the past history or how many would react. I am much older now, and I am only asking for my knowledge and the songs interpretation.

Now, I remember this video was put up on POL(?) and I recall many people not happy with the jhummer song being used. I remember people saying it was because it related to khalistan? Not sure, but I just wanted to know what the meaning of the song/lyrics really is. Is it describing the attacks of 1984? Like I said, this is just for my knowledge, I have done research, just trying to decipher what the song is trying to say. I apologize if this causes any sort of dilemma, and will not hesitate to have this locked.

Once again this is for my knowledge, and just to understand why many were upset by this.

Thank you!

2:54 mark.

2nd PLACE BC Cultural Bhangra Group Seniors @ AVAP 2008

 

[Mans]

I can't really hear what the lyrics are but Sikhi songs are generally not supposed to be danced to. Most of the time the Producer of the track/album will record a PSA that plays at the beginning.

 

[smp]

that's why there's usually that tag that says "please refrain from playing at any hubs, clubs, or gigs" in most these songs

 

[kiddan morniye]

Yeah, it's about the attacks of 1984 and I guess it rubbed off on some people the wrong way because they probably thought dancing to a song concerning genocide & the attacks isn't deemed proper or ethical.

 

[Karan P Singh]

About 1984 but besides that
That was one of the Hotttessttt Jhoomers I've ever seen

 

[hardeep_singh]

jagowale jatha is freaking intense, they make the most amazing dharmik tracks, gets you hyped even if you're not that religious

Shera de Dereya te - Rajoana - Jagowale Jatha

 

[Mukandpuria]

I remember this from POL...they got ripped for it. Although i can see how some would get offended. This Joommer at that time, was amazing. I tried referring to it, but forgot the teams name. Thanks for bringing this video back to light.

 

[Raghav]

Thanks everyone for your replies! No doubt it was an amazing jhoomer, but it is understandable why some people would be upset by the use of this song in a performance.

 

[HarmanToor]

i duno about you guys but that sounded nuts

controversial indeed but it was so dank lol, these dharmik/history tracks always have such skilled musicians behind them

 

[monisingh]

This is ideally how bhangra Should be though
Not this new modern b.s. that a lot of teams are doing (co ed teams)
Has alot to do with ppl not affiliated with the roots of bhangra though trying almost to change it
Why is it wrong for these boys to do jhoomer to that song Its Folk Its Punjabi its the way it should be done

would you dance to a song about people getting killed because of their religion or race and wanting justice that has pretty much never been received ? would you dance to a song about the death of your parents ? Pretty fucked up don`t you think ?

 

[Karan P Singh]

This is ideally how bhangra Should be though
Not this new modern b.s. that a lot of teams are doing (co ed teams)
Has alot to do with ppl not affiliated with the roots of bhangra though trying almost to change it
Why is it wrong for these boys to do jhoomer to that song Its Folk Its Punjabi its the way it should be done

would you dance to a song about people getting killed because of their religion or race and wanting justice that has pretty much never been received ? would you dance to a song about the death of your parents ?Pretty fucked up don`t you think ?

Yeah I would but its not necessarily how you just put it but ok

 

[Karan P Singh]

How did Half this thread move to a complete different thread with the topic "Regarding the term Folk" which Apparently I started... I had nothing to do with that... What the hell is going on

 

[Karan P Singh]

i duno about you guys but that sounded nuts

controversial indeed but it was so dank lol, these dharmik/history tracks always have such skilled musicians behind them

Really do, I think tigerstyle produced these or a few of them

 

[Gabbah Shareef Bhalwan]

The "wrongness" of dancing to that song is not self-evident.


Obviously, some people would dance to that kind of some, and some audience members would like it. The evidence is in the video itself.


I also understand how some people would consider that to be inappropriate. There are a lot of things that various people think are inappropriate (cf. the discussion of touching bhangra props with the feet, for example) especially because they touch on some sensitivity surrounding religion and "music" (including dance).


Punjabi culture, in very broad, general terms, is sensitive to the use of music. Music (and dance) has the power to corrupt, to make profane what is sacred, to defile what is pure. It is not quite so sensitive, overall, as the culture of Middle Eastern Islamic areas of the world, but it is way more sensitive that European / Euro-American cultures, for example.


Most North American bhangra dancers come with some partial sense of the sensibilities of Punjabi culture, but they are mainly "Americans"/"Canadians" in their way of thinking about music. There are bound to be clashes in values and ideology.


Again, the inappropriateness of the gesture is not self-evident; it does not have universal cross-cultural validity. It's the belief of some -- a portion that I would guess doesn't actually make up the majority of people in the North American bhangra community, even if it is held by those who are (or present themselves as) the most elite and most knowledgeable about "proper" this and that.


And again, I can see the "problem" with it. But yet again if the bhangra world were up to me personally (thank god it is not! ), the combination of any prerecorded music with bhangra would be deemed inappropriate and jarring to the cultural aesthetic, and so would any combination (in recorded music) of dance rhythms with certain texts. (!)


I mean, this song was set to a jhummar dance beat in the first place, was it not? Jhummar is purely a dance rhythm, nothing else. Whoever made the song meant for it to be dance to OR had a shoddy understanding of Punjabi musical aesthetics by mixing a certain type of text which is designed to be reflected on mentally with dance music. So of course someone was going to dance to it.

 

[singhk1]

This is bad ass I'm liking it that beat added to it...it was hot