Jump to content

Why Panjabis learn Bhangra in the west


5aaban
 Share

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, 5aaban said:

This is just my theory (may be wrong)

There's an increasing number of Panjabis in western countries learning Bhangra professionally, making Bhangra societies in universities and holding big Bhangra competitions. Although Bhangra is a hybrid dance done by males with modern hip-hop moves, women are also seen in these competitions & performances.

Some parents in the west are encouraging their children to learn Bhangra from these academies (they're starting to open up in my city too). The reason they give for joining is Bhangra connects them with Panjabi culture and they feel "proud" seeing their children on stage. I don't think Bhangra is helping any western Panjabi stay connected with Panjabi culture. Dancing like this on public stages was frowned by Panjabi elders I knew. 

It's sad to see Panjabi culture has been reduced down to jumping on stage. And that bright rainbow uniform Bhangra dancers wear looks so silly, no Panjabi in the past dressed like that. I've met some Bhangra-doing Panjabis in the west who can't read Panjabi or speak it properly, name a Panjabi poet or tell me about Panjab's situation and history. I don't know why so many Panjabi parents hold this misconception that putting children in Bhangra classes will help them connect with culture and turn them into the next Vir SIngh or Bulleh Shah. 

 

 

We need alternatives to feed people. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/1/2022 at 3:44 AM, dallysingh101 said:

I had a young mixed race nephew who came around one day and starting doing bhangra moves out of the blue. I said: "Where d'you learn that!"

He told me "At school." 

I said: "You should be learning maths and science over there, not this."

So they are pushing that on even nonSikh kids these days and you know how kids can easily get confused about their identity.  

We need to stop pushing and promoting this fudhu shyte in our community. It's become ubiquitous and synonymous with us now. And let's keep it real. It's not Sikh culture, it's not even Panjabi culture. It is an element of jut culture that's run amok and taken a life of its own. 

Bhangra GIFs | Tenor

We need to stop promoting it. I don’t think it’s Jat culture at this point. Been looking into Bhangra and the one shown on stages is a mix of western dance moves with the 9 traditional dances of Panjab. 
 

When women should participate in this “Bhangra” dance, it gets even worse. A Panjabi singer once said women shouldn’t be doing doing Bhangra and he received some backlash from members of the western Panjabi community (including boys). That bright Bhangra dress is equally atrocious and people think it’s a traditional “panjabi” dress when it’s just some stage costume dancers wear. 

We need alternatives of connecting with Panjabi culture in the west as you suggested. I think learning some Panjabi poetry would be good but don’t see mass support for it from the community compared to Bhangra. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

Yeah, horse-riding and archery are good sports of boys. Poetry should also be promoted because we can learn new Panjabi words. Pakistani Panjabis who haven't abandoned their language for Urdu hold Panjabi Mushaira's where Panjabi poetry recitals and competitions take place. It's a better initiative than Bhangra competitions.  

I think they still have poetic symposiums back home, or they did until recently (according to a book by Khushwant Singh), and they drew crowds. 

I think for Panjabi boys, lyricism is a good idea, getting them to express complex ideas and emotions through rhymes. Increase vocab. 

Older ones should be given survival training, camping, hunting (if nonveg!), shooting, horse-riding, archery, javelin, discus, martial arts, racing, gymnastics etc. etc. I would have loved this as a kid. Plus we need to make sure no pedo nonces infiltrate, because they will try!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share


  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt


  • Topics

  • Posts

    • We have lamp (or Jyot) the pure unscented candle for a reason. Traditionally, Patis used candle light (jyot), so they could read SGGS in darkness. Light, elec didn't exist. Dhoop is used to attract the "Good spirits" but also keep freshness where Maharaj will be.  Interestingly and coincidentally I heard Sakhi a few dsys ago. During Dasa Pitha's time these souls were roaming the Earth and even Sangat noticed. Maharaj asked them "y u here?" They replied during recitation of SGGS and making Degh they didn't bother lighting candle. THAT WAS THEE ONLY REASON NO GATI WAS GIVEN TO THEM!!!  AUTHENTICITY NOT CHECKED I heard once on YT like 2 days ago.  If u apply dhoop in one room of your house twice a week u will notice a difference esp in the smell and freshness of that room. 
    • Sangat ji, With the hot weather as per Guru's Hukm, how can we look after our kes?  First of all the beard! Working in Construction, factory and any other heated environment I UNDERSTAND! At my workplace it's over 32 degree celcius and sometimes we have to lift 20kg ALL! DAY! My tips, regularly shampoo the beard during ishnan. APPLY OIL! The technique of applying oil is by rubbing it thoroughly in the roots. Pay attention to the noise esp on the chin. You will hear this "crosh crosh" noise. Keep rubbing oil until u can't hear it no more! This means the oil has blended in properly.  Second tip on beard, keep an extra kanga in your pocket. Every two, three hours give your beard a proper comb down to get rid of any sweat or stickiness. SECOND BENEFIT! Do this all 12 months every single day your beard will look like it's been professionally groomed. TRY IT! People will ask you "What gel u use? How can yer beard be naturally like that?" You can say all I use is coconut oil or whaeva oil but just comb the beard every 2-3 hours for a minute.  As for the kes, morning time get rid of all the gronjra (or knots - forgotten English word), in the morning. However, during evening comb down make sure you get rid of small remaining gronjra and comb yer hair nice and straight. You will feel soooo so relaxed. Yes our hair will go unnoticed due to Dastar, but our hair demands time and self grooming!So proper combing down, spending a good 15-20 mins most evenings is an absolute MUST!  Most evenings I let my hair down and cover hair with my parna for 2-3 hours so it gets to relax from the tying up.  FINAL TIP! We are Sikhs so we keep fighting and remember this! The tradition of Dastar and uncut hair started in India, where the weather is twice as hot. Everytime we bring this thought in the mind, Guru ji will bless us and make us feel cooled down by a notch.  Fateh.       
    • Been so much nindya and attacking Shastarvidiya since the 2000s, however if we look at gatka now it's still mostly as poor and poorly taught as it was back then, still morris dancing moves and still behzti moves in BBC shows about sikhi and vaisakhi. If people were going to attack shastarvidiya, wouldn't have made sense to improve gatka instead and make it more effective? Additionally, the Nihang Singh presence has improved greatly now, and the cracks within the the SGPC and affiliated jatha jathebandis are showing more greatly as panth becomes more knowledgable with dasam bani and itihas day-by-day, so much gyaan which was lost within panjabi sikhs during colonial times. In the 2000s, the groups were able to talk down this bani and  gyaan by associating it with  RSS and hindus, brahminwaad etc. Not working so well now is it? However with gyaan it would be also good for us to try and preserve our martial arts and keertan vidiya as well! More and more crazy keertan videos are coming out from jatha members that are being made fun of and making sangat annoyed and upset, on tiktok and instagram reels.  
    • Author Posted April 24   On 4/21/2025 at 2:43 PM, ipledgeblue said: sirr should not be nanga because keski is usually worn.   Sikhs can sleep nanga-sirr if they choose to . Being from Punjab, almost every Sardaarji i know (amritdhari or not) sleeps/showers with their hair uncovered. I don't think Guru Sahib asked us to wear Dastar to sleep and I don't think it is in SRM.   The idea of "keski being worn to sleep" is cos in Bollywood films (Bachna Ae Haseeno) Sikh characters usually tie a gol parna when sleeping since the actor's usually Hindu. So they gotta cover his head somehow or he'd have cut hair. Same reason Diljit wore a pagg to bed in the El Sueno vid. Only time they didn't do that was in Gadar with Sunny Deol which just looked odd tbh   What in the world? What sikh or even a decent human would base their knowledge of their culture or religion on a movie industry, that too Bollywood?  Believe me, no sikh ever said, I must cover my head becasue an actor did so in a movie. I've been doing it all wrong, I must start covering mh head because the sikh in that movie did.  Just because every panjabi and sardaar you know, does something, also doesn't make it right..  Follow the guru. And if you have a medical condition, then exemptions can be made.  Just admit it, because of my medical condition, I am not able to follow this rehit. Why are you getting everyone else to drop to your level?
    • Wasn't Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom on amd always commemorated on 6th June? How come it was 30th May?  Just like 6th June 84, where the likes of Terrorists like Indira Gandhi chose to attack Darbar Sahib where many many innocent Sikhs would suffer, as they went to commemorate Martyrdom of Maharaj. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use