A
glimpse into the lives and
culture of the people of Punjab can be got through
the folk idiom of Punjab. There is a great
repertoire of music, right from the time of birth to
death, of love and separation of dance and
rejoicement, of marriage and fulfilment. Culturally
Punjab can be divided into three riegions, Malwa,
Majha and Doaba. Today Malwa represents the true
spirit of Punjabi folk traditions. The Punjabi fold
idiom is so rich, so varied and so very versatile.
It is a culture of generous, vast, large hearted
people which is devoid of any fanaticism and
religious narrow mindedness of ideology.
If we go deep into the folk music of the land, it is
difficult to classify it. But perhaps we can draw
board divisions for every season, every festive
occasion has music associated with it. Even food is
associated with a change in season. The festivals of
Punjab are numerous. Lohri is the time after which
the biting cold of winter begins to taper off. In
the olden days, it was more of a community festival,
where the birth of a son, the first year of marriage
was celebrated all through the village in front of
the sacred fire. Songs like 'Sunder mundriye, tera
kaun vichara, Dulla Bhathi Wala.'were sung to the
beat of virourous claps. Groups of little children
would go singing round the village collecting 'gur'
and 'rewari' for themselves. 'Lohri' was preceded by
Maagh and the famous Maaghi Da Mela, and followed by
Baisakhi, where the Bhangra was danced by the men of
the Village.
An energetic dance associated with the ripening of
crops, performed by the menfolk of the villages. The
dance manifests the vigour and vitality and
exuberance of the people, in anticipation of money
coming in after the cutting of a good harvest. Then
comes the season of the monsoon, or 'sawan' when the
married girls come home for a vacation, meet their
old friends, wear the colourful Phulkaris, swing
under the trees, adorn themselves with 'mehndi
patterns', and glass bangles and exchange news,
singing songs. 'Ni Lia De Mai, Kallean Bagaan Di
Mehandi'. No occasion goes off without the
association of music in Punjab. Right from the
moment a woman announces the news of the conception
of a baby, songs start. The third month, the fifth
month, and then of the actual birth of baby is
associated with joyous songs about the impending
arrival. There are songs which tell about the love
of a brother or a sister. Once a marriage is
finalized, and preparations of the marriage start in
the boy's and girl's family.
For the process of washing and cleaning the grain,
of making new clothes, and household items, songs
are sung by the woman in the family as they work
through the night, that the 'dhol' is not used as
the menfolk who are sleeping should not have their
sleep disturbed. And then the numerous songs
associated with the wedding. In the girls side 'Suhag'
is sung, and in the boy;s side, songs while he
mounts the mare, 'Sehra' and 'Ghodi' are sung. When
the two sides meet 'Sithaniyan' are exchanged. A
kind of raunchy humour which makes it easier for
both the the parties to show off their wit and
repartee and also provides an opportunity to get to
know each other. After the Barat is received 'Patal
Kaavya' is sung after tea and while the 'Barat' is
eating food together. Jugni, Sammi are basically
songs centring around love, in the Jugni normally
the bachelors gather together and sing about their
beloved. The Sammi is more a gypsy dance, which is
performed as an expression of joy and victory,
around the fire at night. Sammi is an imaginary
female character of folk poetry, belonging to the
Marwar area of Rajasthan who fell in love with the
the young prince, and it is around their love story
that the music and dance is set to. In the list of
happy songs are included, Luddie, Dhamal and of
course the Giddha and the Bhangra, which is all set
to music, which is typical of Punjab. Along with the
'Dhol' primarily, are sung 'Bolis' which can be
divided into two categories, 'singly boli' and'
lengthy boli'. Centering around mother-in-law,
father-in-law, sister-in-law and other character
from everyday life the music of these two lively
traditions is extremely enervating.
Being a frontier state war played an important part
in the lives of the people of Punjab. There was also
a tradition of wrestlers living in every village,
and while they practised at the 'Akhara' a music
grew around their practice called 'akhara singing'.
The drum plays a very important part in the folk
music of Punjab. It provides the basic accompaniment
to most of folk music. The 'Dhol' and 'Dholik', the
male and female drum, had it's own relevant use. The
information of an impending army was communicated by
the sound of the 'Dhol', when information was given
to the neighboring villages through a particular
beat. The instruments used in Punjabi folk are
typical to the region. The 'toombi', 'algoza', 'chheka',
'chimta', 'kaanto', daphali', dhad' and 'manjira'
are some of the popular traditional folk
instruments.
There are songs which are specific to death. Called
'Siapah', there are different kinds of 'siapah'.
Special to individuals, the song of mourning deal
with the loss of a brother, sister, mother, father,
mother-in-law, father-in-law, and are sung in a
particular format.
As in the rest of the country Sikh religion is
deeply connected with music. In fact a glossary of
music and Ragas are given at the end of the Guru
Granth Sahib, the tradition starting with Mardana,
who accompanied Guru Nanak on his travels who sang
the bani of Guru Nanak with an ‘ektaara’ and the
‘rhubarb’. Classical ragas are used in the
‘shabad kirtan’, gayaki of Punjab. The sixth
Guru Hargobind gave patrongae to sect of singers who
sang only martial songs. Called ‘Dhadis’, they
sing at shrines and festivals, ballads, vars, and
about the heroic feats of the Sikhs. Along with the
"Dhad" the ‘dhadi’ also uses a sarangi,
as a musical accompaniment.
A strong tradition of the ‘kissa sahity’ of
Punjab is very much part and parcel of Punjabi folk
music. The legends of Heer Ranjha , Sohni Mahiwal,
Sassi Punnu, Puran Bhagat are sung more in a semi
classical style. The Punjabi ‘kaffi and kali’
are part of this genre. Related to this is the
‘sufiana kallam’ of Punjab as a result of a
strong Sufi tradition in the state. The Heer in
particular has a strong sufi base.
Later in the eighteenth and nineteenth century there
started in Punjab a strong school of classical music
centering around Patiala known today as the Patiala
Gharana. The founders of this gahrana were Ustaad
Ali Bux and Ustaad Fateh Ali who were great singers
in the Patiala Darbar. Their disciples and admirers
were numerous. Notable amongst them were Ustad Bade
Ghulam Ali and his brother Barkat Ali who brought
the Patiala Gharana on the forefront of Khayal
gayaki. And thus started the ‘chau-mukhia’
style, which included dhrupad, khyal thumri and the
taraana. Each of these styles too have their
particular flavour, the energy and zest of the soil
of Punjab. Highly decorated, Ustaad Bade Ghulam Ali
Khan composed numerous ‘bandishes’ or
compositions under the penname of Sabarang. Parallel
to this was the growth of a gharana of tabla playing
which is also known as the Punjab style, of which
Alla Rakha the great tabla maestro belongs.
What has been written about is just a broad canvas
of Punjab. Every village of Punjab has something's
typical of the soil. Over the years the success of
the green revolution, with large mustard fields, and
‘kanak da sitta’ or the grains of wheat, along
with the disco culture has provided a ‘purdah’
or a covering over the varied tradition of folk
music of Punjab. For any discerning appreciator of
music, Punjab provided enough for every occasion and
every season, completely obliterating the statement
that Punjab is a land of "agriculture and no
culture". Culture lives and thrives in Punjab
in spite of its stormy past.
Courtesy of Punjab Government, Punjab - India And
Courtesy of The Bharat.com
http://punjabgovt.nic.in/Culture/culture.htm
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| Bhangra:
A folk dance of Punjab. |
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| Giddha:
A
folk dance of Punjab. |
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