Sada Virsa

Bhangra

Bhangra,a lively form of folk music and dance originating from Punjab, is normally accompanied singing (Boliyaan) and, most significantly, the beat of the dhol drum. Traditionally, people performed Bhangra when celebrating the harvest. Nowadays, Bhangra is performed in all parts of the world at occasions such as Indian weddings, receptions, and parties. During Bhangra, people sing Punjabi Boliyaan lyrics, at least one person plays the the dhol drum, and other people may play the flute, dholak drum, or other musical instruments.

Finding its origin in the fertile land of Punjab that also witnessed innumerable invasions and corresponding hostilities over the centuries, Bhangra typically is a male dominated folk dance portraying farmers. Bhangra's female counterpart, Gidda, performed by ladies their own fierce, elegent way. It is similar in concept - together they synergistically complement each other. Women, when performing Giddha, wore the salvar kameez (a long colorful shirt accompanied with a baggy style bottom piece) accompanied by their bright colored duppattas (cloth wrapped around the neck).

Many people believe that Bhangra originated in the 1400s, however, it may be even older. Primarily men performed Bhangra, . The men wore the turban, lungi or chadra (long cloth wrapped around the waist), and kurta (traditional Indian shirt) The basic movements in Bhangra relate to farming activities like ploughing, sowing, harvesting and festivities connected with such activities. The overall movements are from medium to high pace - one may get easily burned out in under 15 minutes flat. The traditional Bhangra musical instruments are Dhol (drum), Chimta, claps and vocals. Boliyan, (proverbial short poems) dealing with rural life, romance, relationships including quarrels between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. Love and excitement provide the added backdrop on which the Bhangra and Gidda dances take the form of jubilation, exuberance and vitality. Be it the festival of Baisakhi or a happy occasion of wedding, birthday etc., if it is a Punjabi party, it is not complete without Bhangra - anywhere in the world. And nowadays its not limited to Punjabi parties either!

Nowadays, because of Punjabi influence worldwide, people perform Bhangra in all parts of the world at occasions such as weddings, receptions, and parties. Bhangra has evolved from a dance and music only performed in the Punjab region, to a popular style of music and dance that people perform throughout South Asia and many parts of the world.

Bhangra is truly becoming more popular worldwide and people of non-Punjabi background are listening to and performing Bhangra. Universities and other organizations are holding annual Bhangra dance competitions in many of the main cities of the United States, Canada, and England. At these competitions, young Punjabis, people of different South Asian background, and people with no South Asian background compete. It is evident that every year Bhangra becomes more popular and known among many different types of people worldwide.

How to Perform Bhangra

It is a dance, which does not consist of separate steps, such as Ballet does, but instead consists of several hand and feet movements put together according to the beat of the music. This dance can also be danced along with the sound of the dhol (drum).

-The Physics of Bhangra-

Did you ever imagine that while you were dancing, physics was taking place. Probably not, but believe it or not, Physics occurs in everything that takes place during someone's day. And it shows up more than once in during Bhangra. Bhangra consists of many aspects from the science of Physics. Among them are: Force, Acceleration, Speed, friction, and Momentum. Each is involved in every move, step, and dance.
We know that Newton discover "Gravity" which is 9.84m/s, and he also discover Three universal laws, Two of them apply to Bhangra.

1. Newton's Third Law
The force of how hard one hits the ground with their feet. Newton's third law states that for every force on an object there will be an equal and opposite force exerted by that object. This relates to Bhangra in that the amount in which you jump or hit your feet on the ground will create an equal and opposite force on you and how far you jump up and around.

2. Acceleration
Bhangra music consist of different degrees of acceleration. Some sounds are slow and some are fast. Depending on the beat when you dance Bhangra you dance to the beat. Once the song's beat goes up so does the accleration of the dance.

3. Speed
The dancer accelerates when they are dancing, therefore the speed of the dance goes up as well.

4. Momentum
Momentum is the quantity of motion, the product of the mass and velocity. If your velocity is constant when you're dancing , meaning the rate at which you are moving to the music, then the momentum is also constant.

5. Friction
Friction is the force that opposes the motion of two surfaces that are in contact. The feet of the dancer and the floor are the two surfaces which come into contact during the Bhangra. The force of the feet on the floor causes friction to take place.

6. Kinetic and Potential Energy
Since, Kinetic energy is the energy of motion and Potential energy is stored energy, both play a huge part in Bhangra. Thisi is because the dancer is doing a lot of motions which require jumping up and down. As can be seen in the pictures below, when the dancer is in still position on the ground with their knees bent, they are getting ready to jump. At this point, they have a lot of stored potential energy, which is ready to be converted into kinetic energy. So once the dancer lifts up into the air, their potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.

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.

Harappa and Kalianbanga indicate some form of this folk dance being done in those times. Rig Veda also hints at it. Women and men celebrate harvesting with dance and drinking soma . Mahabharta also mentions the celebrations and dancing of Punjab. Arjun spent part of one year as a woman, learning to dance in Punjab, dancing with the villagers in their celebrations of harvest and victory in wars.

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 :-
Sada Na Bagin Bulbulan Bolan, Sada Nan Mauj, Baharan, Bhangra Pao Belio, Punjabiyan Di Shaan Bhangra ( Nightingales will not sing forever in the garden, our life and celebrations are not forever, so friends lets let us celebrate life with Bhangra, Bhangra is dignity of the Punjabis).

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)

(Balle, Balle, truck drivers have tough life
They eat at Dhabas and sleep on the wheel)
(A ray of hope has come, bringing the message of Unity
Kisan is awakening, Hindustan is rising)
(Early spring you went away to serve now it is middle of summer, what kind of job is it, you do not even have a said Bhangra has been reduced to minimum. When coeducation in East Punjab was car)

Partition of Punjab had its impact on Bhangra also. In west Punjab, it is 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:

We will walk two yards less
But we will walk with dignity
We prefer to live two days less
But want to live with dignity.
Given that we have come here in search of bread
But we are fed up with the racist taunts
Pick up a two by two young man
And settle scores with racists.

Caught in the web of bills
Working overtime always
Rest you spend in the Pubs
You are in bad shape friend, you are in bad shape.
Your life is wasted in foundries

My love, I wait for you.
The sale is on in the shops
Buy me a Japanese Sari.

Bhangra as is said is Shaan of Punjab. Under the present and new conditions, how can it continue and further develop? Can the old Bhangra continue under new situation? How can the good qualities of the old Bhangra be brought forwarded and Bhangra be upgraded? These are some of the questions that arise. They are connected with our tradition, culture and identity. In this regard, there is a suggestion by some lovers of Bhangra to organize an international Bhangra Mela- competition- in year 2000 and deliberate on this issues of Bhangra. It would definitely be a positive step for Bhangra. Following are some instruments used in Bhangra.

Dhol : High bass, energetic tone