Absolutely not. I am out here to have a good time, not to be on demand entertainment for you untalented fools who lack the ability to actually dance rather than copy moves from hip hop culture and decimate them. I'll get to that in a later post, but back to the main topic right now. No. Just cause you lack culture and know that one Punjabi song "Tunak Tunak" by Dilher Mehndi because of those two white guys who danced to it doesn't mean its the only Punjabi song in existence. Is it still a complete banger? Of course it is, but that doesn't mean we still listen to it or dance to it.
Tunak Tunak is the song non-Punjabi people put on at parties when they see a guy in a turban and want to see them "do that Bollywood dance". (The whole Bollywood vs. Punjabi is also another tissue I will address later). My issue isn't with the song itself and that is something I want to clear up. My issue is the fact that many people (and let's be honest, I am talking mostly about white people) see that song as not just the entirety of the Punjabi music industry but as Punjabi culture as a whole. They see a man in colorful outfits doing bhangra and singing bhangra music, and for some reason, this is the picture they have of all Punjabi people. Sure, a lot of us know how to do bhangra and even enjoy doing it, but we are more than that. I think I personally felt this most at my Junior Prom. As the only turbaned Sikh there, it was clear I was Punjabi. For some reason, somebody had put on THAT song, and much to my chagrin, a circle was formed around me on the dance floor and I had no choice but to put on a performance for my fellow classmates.
Punjabi music is so much more than just Tunak Tunak, and definitely so much more than just bhangra music. Obviously that music style still exists, but as time has changed so has the style of the dozens of new artists on the scene. We are seeing Punjabi artists from all over the world, in Punjab, Canada, the UK, creating new Punjabi music across so many different genres. There is Punjabi hip hop, Punjabi rap, Punjabi pop, and so many more types of music that has been popping up over the past few years. And it is understandable that non-Punjabi folks wouldn't know the new music that has been appearing over the last decade or two, but is it so crazy for Punjabi's to expect everyone else to treat their music as more than just one song from 1998? Is it so crazy for Punjabi's to expect people to understand their culture is more than just bhangra and video editing skills?
Tunak Tunak is the song non-Punjabi people put on at parties when they see a guy in a turban and want to see them "do that Bollywood dance". (The whole Bollywood vs. Punjabi is also another tissue I will address later). My issue isn't with the song itself and that is something I want to clear up. My issue is the fact that many people (and let's be honest, I am talking mostly about white people) see that song as not just the entirety of the Punjabi music industry but as Punjabi culture as a whole. They see a man in colorful outfits doing bhangra and singing bhangra music, and for some reason, this is the picture they have of all Punjabi people. Sure, a lot of us know how to do bhangra and even enjoy doing it, but we are more than that. I think I personally felt this most at my Junior Prom. As the only turbaned Sikh there, it was clear I was Punjabi. For some reason, somebody had put on THAT song, and much to my chagrin, a circle was formed around me on the dance floor and I had no choice but to put on a performance for my fellow classmates.
Punjabi music is so much more than just Tunak Tunak, and definitely so much more than just bhangra music. Obviously that music style still exists, but as time has changed so has the style of the dozens of new artists on the scene. We are seeing Punjabi artists from all over the world, in Punjab, Canada, the UK, creating new Punjabi music across so many different genres. There is Punjabi hip hop, Punjabi rap, Punjabi pop, and so many more types of music that has been popping up over the past few years. And it is understandable that non-Punjabi folks wouldn't know the new music that has been appearing over the last decade or two, but is it so crazy for Punjabi's to expect everyone else to treat their music as more than just one song from 1998? Is it so crazy for Punjabi's to expect people to understand their culture is more than just bhangra and video editing skills?
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