Author Topic: History Of Bhangra (Read 2059 times)

Kudi Nepal Di · « **on:** June 14, 2010, 06:13:48 AM »

Introduction
Bhangra is a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region in Southeast Asia. As many Bhangra lyrics reflect the long and often tumultuous history of the Punjab, knowledge of Punjabi history offers important insights into the meaning of the music. While Bhangra began as a part of harvest festival celebrations, it eventually became a part of such diverse occasions as weddings and New Year celebrations. Moreover, during the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae. As Bhangra continues to move into mainstream culture, an understanding of its history and tradition helps to appreciate it.
Punjab
The birthplace of Bhangra, the Punjab is a region extending over part of Northern India and Northeastern Pakistan. Translated, the name "Punjab" means the "Land of Five Rivers." The people of the Punjab are called Punjabis and they speak a language called Punjabi. The three main religions in the area are Sikhism, Hinduism, and Islam. The region has been invaded and ruled by many different empires and races, including the Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Muslims, and Mongols. Around the time of the 15th Century, Guru Nanak Dev founded the Sikh religion, which quickly came to prominence in the region. The 19th Century saw the beginning of British rule, which led to the emergence of several heroic freedom fighters, the subject of many Bhangra songs. Finally, the Punjab was split between Pakistan and India at the end of British rule in 1947. This partitioning resulted in a large migration of Punjabis into the United Kingdom, which eventually led to the emergence of Bhangra in Western clubs and dancehalls.

Aryan Migrations (1500 BC - 100BC)
Between 1500 BC and 100 BC the Aryan people migrated in large numbers to Punjab, drawn mainly by the area`s agricultural richness. The Aryans and their interactions with the natives dominate the next thousand-year history of Punjab. During this time the oldest books of human history, the Rig-Vedas, are supposed to have been written, and the Aryan tongue Sanskrit came into use in the area.

The Persians
Punjab, located at the outskirts of the great Persian empires, came under occasional Persian control. While the Persian king Darius The Great (521-486 BC) is reported to have attacked the Punjab and occupied some parts, King Gustap finally succeeded in occupying the entire region in 516 BC. The Punjab eventually became the wealthiest province in the Persian kingdom.

The Greeks & Alexander
The Greeks, rivals of the Persians, also coveted the Punjab. Throughout the time of 500-300 BC, several Greek scholars wrote of the area, describing a fertile land with numerous rivers.

In 326 BC Alexander The Great and his armies seized the "prosperous plains" of the Punjab. Although Alexander died only nineteen months later, the region remained under the control of other Greek rulers for several hundred years. Meanwhile, the Mauryas came to power in India, bringing with them a time of "artistic achievements".

Some scholars believe Bhangra originated during this time with the battles with Alexander.

The Muslims
After the time of the Mauryas, the Punjab - and the rest of India - endured several hundred years of chaos. Because the Punjab is located in a strategically valuable position, many different groups fought for its control. These groups include the Huns, the Hindus, Buddhists, and several other tribes from central Asia.

Following the birth of Islam in Arabia in 6th century AD, Arabs rose in prominence and replaced the Persians as the major power in the area. In 712 AD, Mohammad bin Qasim commanded an Arab army that took much of the Punjab. Three centuries later, several generations of Turk rulers seized the entire Punjab, and later much of India.

The Punjab saw more tumultuous times from the end of the Muslim dynasties until the late 18th Century. Several different Muslim groups, as well as the Mongols, attacked, occupied, and lost various parts of the region numerous times. The area`s strategic position was "unrivaled," and every new ruler tried to seize control of it. Through the many years of upheaval and fighting, these diverse groups formed a cultural melting pot, eventually all blending together into one society.

The Rise of Sikh Power
During this chaotic time, however, a remarkable man was born - a man who would transform the Punjabi consciousness permanently. This was Guru Nanak Dev. Born in 1469 in the district of Sheikhupura, Guru Nanak spent his entire adult life roaming the world. His travels included the entirety of Punjab and South East Asia, Mecca, and even Rome. By the time he died in 1539 he had launched a powerful movement with radical rejection of caste, dogma, ritualism, gender inequality, and superstition - the Sikh religion.

Over the next two centuries, nine other Gurus led the Sikhs. The tenth and final master, Guru Gobind Singh (1661-1708 AD), created the Khalsa. This was an army of saint-warriors to protect the downtrodden. He also gave Sikhs their names: Singh for males, Kaur for women, and he infused a new spirit among the masses to rise up against the ferocity of their rulers. He charged his Sikhs with the responsibility of fighting for the exploited and the oppressed.

Ranjit Singh
The Sikhs quickly established themselves as the rulers of the greater part of Punjab, culminating with the rule of Maharaja (King) Ranjit Singh, known to be one the most outstanding rulers in the history of the region. Known for his outstanding abilities in military leadership, diplomacy, and administrative skills, he combined many small communities at war with themselves into a united and strong Punjab. He took Lahore in 1799 and was proclaimed Maharaja in 1801. He is best remembered for creating a kingdom for all Punjabis, regardless of religion, caste, color, or creed.

During his reign, Singh signed a treaty to keep the British East India Company from interfering with the Punjab, while he continued to expand his kingdom to the north and west. Although he remained a devout Sikh for his entire life, Singh maintained a secular empire in which citizens of all religions lived together in peace. He died at Lahore on 27 June 1839, and the Sikh Kingdom that he built expired soon after.

The British, and the Punjabi Heroes
In 1849, the British took down the weakened Punjab army, devoid of the leadership and organization of Ranjit Singh, and gained control of the region, along with the rest of Southeast Asia. The British colonial rule was markedly different from that of Ranjit Singh, and the people were not happy - many Punjabis fought hard against British rule.

Although the British committed many atrocities, one event in 1919 is especially important. At Amritsar, Punjab, about 20,000 demonstrators protesting British rule confronted troops commanded by General Reginald E. H. Dyer in an open space known as the Jallianwalla Bagh. The troops fired on the crowd, killing an estimated 379 and wounding about 1,200. The shooting was followed by the proclamation of martial law, public floggings, and other humiliations. Although the event ended Dyer`s career, the governor of Punjab, Michael O`Dwyer, publicly supported his actions. This event left a permanent scar on Indo-British relations and was the prelude to Mahatma Gandhi`s Non-Cooperation movement.

This event brought about the emergence of many revolutionary Punjabis, including Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh. Many of these Sikhs took a violent road in achieving independence, in stark contrast to the methods of Gandhi.

Bhagat Singh was born into a family of Sikh farmers in the Punjab in 1907. His father, grandfather, and uncle were all politically active, working to achieve reform and independence in India, and Bhagat would soon develop similar ambitions. He grew up in the uneasy aftermath of the Jalianwala Bagh massacre, visiting the site when he was only fourteen. Although he began his political career by printing and distributing pamphlets and newspapers in an effort to raise political awareness in India, Bhagat Singh soon became one of the many Punjabis who elected to drive the British out of India by violent means. In 1928, he shot a British officer as retribution for the beating death of an Indian protestor. Bhagat was eventually arrested, and hanged in 1931.

Born in 1899 in the Punjab, Udham Singh was an eyewitness to the events at Jallianwalla Bagh. That event was a turning point for Udham, who devoted the rest of his life to liberating India. Between 1919 and 1933 he traveled to America, India, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, and Russia, making many contacts with other revolutionaries. He eventually entered England in 1933, determined to execute O`Dwyer. He laid low for seven years, waiting for the perfect, public opportunity in order to gain the most publicity for his cause. He finally succeeded in 1940, shooting O`Dwyer at a public meeting in London. He was hanged later that year. Under interrogation in prison, Udham Singh consistently used the name of Mohammed Singh Azad, even after the police had discovered his real name. This alias, which incorporates three different religions, symbolized that his sacrifice was for all Indians, regardless of their ethnicity or class.

Both Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh became legendary heroes for the Indian people. They were the subjects of countless Bhangra songs, and youth throughout the country idolized them. They went on to become symbols of bravery and the struggle to free India.

Partition of the Punjab
Perhaps because of its ethnic heterogeneity and turbulent history, the Punjab was partitioned between India and Pakistan when India gained its independence from Britain in 1947. As a result of the Indian Independence act, the Punjab was divided into the East Punjab province of the Union of India and the West Punjab province of Pakistan. This division, and the political problems accompanying Indian independence, led to a lack of resources (water, specifically) and a great deal of violence. As a result, many Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs abandoned their homes in the Punjab and moved to friendlier lands. In total, eight million people were uprooted, one of the largest mass-migrations in modern history. Because of the possibility of open immigration to Britain from any Commonwealth country, many people came to large British industrial cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester. (Birmingham especially is now home to a thriving Bhangra scene.)

At the same time, thousands of South Asian people, having been transplanted to work on railways in East Africa during the 1940s and 50s, also came to England. Thus, South Asian communities formed in Britain from people of diverse backgrounds, each with their own musical traditions. This diversity set the stage for the eclectic nature of the western Bhangra movement in the latter 20th Century.

Author Topic: History Of Bhangra (Read 2059 times)

Kudi Nepal Di

History Of Bhangra

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