BOOK REVIEW

BHANGRA

Birmingham and Beyond

 

By Dr Rajinder Dudrah

 

Reviewed by Reggie Massey FRSA

 

This amazing book comes as a breath of fresh air to a critic like me who has spent decades studying subjects pertaining to Indian classical music and dance. Shastriye sangeet and Bharata Natyam have been my interest areas, but since the bhangra genre is part of Punjabi folk culture, I welcome this first book on British bhangra most heartily. The following is from the chapter on Folk Dances in my book India’s Dances: Their History, Technique and Repertoire: ‘Throughout Punjab, the Land of the Five Rivers which lies on either side of the India-Pakistan border, the virile Bhangra is danced on all festive occasions and particularly after the kanak, wheat, is sown. The lively and often lusty songs tell of the pleasures of life and the heroic deeds of lovers. The Gidda is like the Bhangra but danced only by women. At the tail-end of this dance the girls form up into pairs; and then holding tightly on to each other’s hands, with arms outstretched, they spin at great speed to the accompaniment of loud and fast songs. This is the Kikli which is known to every Punjabi peasant girl. A much slower dance is the Karthi in which both men and women participate.’

Let us not forget that the strong, virile rhythms of bhangra have influenced the popular music and dance of mainstream, that is white, British popular culture. Dr Rajinder Dudrah who is an academic at Manchester University’s Film and Media Studies Department as well as Head of Drama writes: ‘Bhangra has really forged a path for itself through the years and nowadays it is commonplace to hear its influence in many mainstream songs such as the remixed version of ‘Mundian To Bach Ke’, which has leading hip-hop artist Jay-Z’s rapping on it. Clearly British bhangra music has evolved in the UK from its folk beginnings in the Punjab. I simply wanted to recreate the journey bhangra has embarked on over the years and I hope the end product is an experience worth sharing with others… I also believe young people who are into British Asian music but perhaps are unaware of the history and importance of bhangra music since the 1960s and 70s would appreciate this book.’

I am aware and acutely conscious of the importance of bhangra in the early 60s. Them were the bad old days when young men from the Punjab toiled round the clock in Southall and the Black Country and the only catharsis they resorted to was the bhangra. Bhangra, if I might suggest, had an important therapeutic role about half a century ago. Maybe, Dr Dudrah could consider directing some of his students to research this particular and unique aspect of bhangra. It kept
young Punjabis, mainly Sikhs from the rural areas, sane in the  freezing cold and unrelenting rain of that era’s most unwelcoming Britain. Now, of course, the scenario is vastly different. To be Asian is to be cool or ‘kool’. Asian millionaires proliferate and curry has become a British national dish.  British universities are full of Asian academics. At one time, I remember, if even a red-brick university accepted an Indian or Pakistani (who already had a master’s degree from India or Pakistan) as an undergraduate student it was considered a big deal.

But back to bhangra and this interesting book. There are seven chapters: Old Skool Bhangra, The Live Music Scene, Album Sleeves, The Representation of Bhangra in the British Media, Women in Bhangra, Bhangra’s DJ Culture, and Bhangra Now.  The Foreword by Ammo Talwar is lively and full of facts, and the Introduction titled Drum‘n’Dhol by Rajinder Dudrah celebrates Birmingham’s status as the capital of British bhangra.

The big names such as Achanak, Apna, Anari Sangeet, Bally Jagpal,  Bhujhangy, DCS, Jassi Sidhu, Hard Kaur (I do like that name !), Safri Boyz, and many, many others are recorded for posterity. Also, the key record labels, studios and distribution companies such as Oriental Star Agency, Nachural Records, Envy Roma Music, and Moviebox Records are given the recognition and praise that is their due.

The Bibliography and Index are very useful but what is remarkable is the book’s production. Boy Chana, Ian Reynolds, Designer Bharat Patel, Punch, Birmingham City Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund have to be congratulated.

At weddings, birthdays and festivals such as Baisakhi the call ‘Chak De Phattey !’ is invariably heard.  The frenzy of dancing feet accentuated by the bhangra beat of the Punjab will always lift the floorboards and mash-up the dance floors.

Reginald Massey is poet, author, and critic of The Dancing Times, London. His latest book INDIA: Definitions and Clarifications, (ISBN: 978-1-870518-95-6) was launched at the Nehru Centre, London in September 2007      

Published by Birmingham City Council Library & Archive Service)

ISBN 0-7093-0256-8

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