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OPINION: How Punjabi music in India and Pakistan has blurred the dividing lines
Music from Sanjha Panjab has always been my favorite genre and this opinion string is an ode to the references across borders that make musical lense a heaven to experience on earth. READ.
I was sipping my tea over the last weekend while scrolling through Instagram and noticing how every other reel on my feed was tuned with the Gharwi Group’s viral verse from Coke Studio Pakistan’s song Blockbuster. “Ve kurta leyaiyan mai Ludhaineyon, mai suneya si kahaniyan, ve marjaneya.” Ever thought what made this line so popular in Indian social space over the last few weeks?
I know the first thought would be, oh, it's music, everyone across the world loves all kinds of music - which is true. However, it is also because Punjabi music as an institution has always been received largely by anyone and everyone globally.
How the ‘Power of Music’ binds people beyond borders
Music has been a safe space for the world to chime in and echo their thoughts with the flavors of words and tunes. When we talk about the Music of Punjab specifically, then it reflects the traditions of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, primarily associated with the Punjabi language.
Punjab after the partition of 1947 was divided into two parts: East Punjab, in India, and West Punjab, in Pakistan which became the most populous province of that country.
“It was the partition of Punjab.. but Punjabi soul can't be divided.. always Sanja Punjab, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, sabda Punjab,” a tweet I read early this morning.
Today, even after almost 77 years of the division, artists across borders continue to make mentions of each other through their music and that is indeed my ‘Roman empire’. I thought why not have a quick look back at this cross-border diaspora of music and cultures of Punjab and pick leaves from such songs?
I grew up in Eastern India with a quite limited exposure to cinema and music. However, it was fate that eventually paved my career as an entertainment journalist. I can recall my first exposure to Punjabi music being Yo Yo Honey Singh and Bilal Saeed songs followed by tracks of Imran Khan, Alfaaz, and Diljit Dosanjh.
While Punjabi music was always a part of Hindi cinema, this particular time was when it started slipping into Hindi cinema extensively and cut to 2024, it has now become a mandatory ingredient for crafting a hit album. However, don’t get me confused, today I am certainly not talking about mainstream Punjabi music but the songs being made specifically in the rural regions.
Ammy Virk who is currently making waves with his performance in Bad Newz was seen in the 2022 movie Bajre Da Sitta where a song titled Gali Lahore Di was featured. Sung by Noor Chahal and Sargi Maan, the hook of the song was “Mere valaan vichla cheer ve gali Lahore di” which translates to ‘Let the partitions of my hair resemble the streets of Lahore’. Doesn’t this sound so beautiful?
Lahore which is in Pakistan has found several such mentions in songs produced by the Indian Punjabi industry. Remember Guru Randhawa's song Lagdi Lahore Di Aa? The song beautifully talks about how if a woman of grace and beauty is there, she might be from Lahore - an ode of appreciation from Indian music for humans of Lahore.
There was another hit track by Gurdas Mann and Diljit Dosanjh named Ki Banu Duniya Da which extensively spoke about how partition cost them a lot alongside making several mentions of things from Pakistan’s Punjab. “Saanu sauda ni pugda haaye, Ho raavi ton Chanaab puchda, Ki haal ae Satluj da haaye. (Our Partition cost us dearly… River Chenab often asks her sister River Ravi, How is my dear brother River Sutlej?)”
Towards the end of the same song, Mann saab sings, “Painde dur Peshawar'an de, Raah puchdi Lahore'an de (The road to Peshawar is far, distant and hard to reach, I look for those paths that once existed to Lahore).”
Punjabi music - A celebration beyond borders
There was the song Janjhan from the movie Lahoriye which made similar mentions but in a playful manner. That was the Lahore saga but there’s more to this cross-border love.
In India, we had a singer named Surinder Kaur who once gave a blockbuster track titled Jutti Kasuri which made straight references to the footwear made in Kasur, a city in Pakistan. Mannat Noor’s hit song Multan describes how a woman wants a jhanjhara from Multan (a city in Pakistan). Referring to the same city, Neha Bhasin made several mentions in the hook of her song Chan Mahi.
Also, by the way, Multan's chheent is also quite popular among Rajasthani songs.
These are just a few handfuls of mentions that I noticed over time and thought to write down because, in the minds of people from Punjab, their world is still united, has no borders and they continue to celebrate the best of both sides. Not to forget to mention the efforts made by Coke Studio from both countries in bringing many such masterpieces that resonate across borders and keep the mutual love blooming.
Which of these songs has connected the most with you? Tell us @pinkvilla and make sure to come back for such slice-of-life stories and breathers.
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