Punjabi musicians have always been political, but in what can be called a dangerous trend, young stars are increasingly milking the Khalistan issue for attention. Take Canadian-Punjabi singer Shubhneet Singh, aka Shubh, whose India Still Rollin’ tour has been cancelled by BookMyShow after widespread backlash over his alleged endorsement of separatist views.
The Punjabi music sensation, famous for tracks like Cheques and Baller, was also unfollowed by cricketer Virat Kohli on Instagram for sharing an illegal, distorted map of India that separated Punjab and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh from the mainland. This map, which Shubh shared very recently on his Instagram stories, went viral on social media ahead of his concert.
But 25-year-old Shubh is not the first Punjabi singer to be cancelled for holding separatist views on Punjab. Recently, AP Dhillon, another hugely popular NRI singer, landed in controversy after wearing shoes that the public perceived as an insult to the Indian Tricolour.
This young breed of NRI Punjabi singers shares separatist views and virtue signals on social media to increase their popularity. This approach stands in stark contrast to the older, bolder generation of Punjabi singers represented by Babbu Mann, Harbhajan Mann and Gurdas Maan, who highlighted relevant public issues with their work.
Singer Shubhneet Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. The refund will be reflected within 7-10 working days in the customer's…
— BookMyShow (@bookmyshow) September 20, 2023
There is a clear disconnect between the old generation and the new. Singers like Shubh are less ‘culture’, more ‘cult’.
Guns, cars and girls as important
This new lot of singers, riding the highs of popularity and notoriety, knows that the Khalistan issue is not enough. They also sing about cars, guns and girls because that’s where the money truly lies.
Just take a look at one of Shubh’s most popular songs; He rose to fame with his 2021 release We Rollin, the lyrics of which read something like this:
“Mere dabb 32-bore thalle kaali car hai (I’ve got a 0.32 bore gun, and I own a black car).”
The cancelled concert was called Still Rollin, which is Shubh’s latest hit. In this song, he flaunts roaming around a woman’s city in his newly modified car.
These singers know that guns and roses, narcissism and cars sell in Bollywood, where Punjabi music is now hugely popular. But their craft neither reflects the values they propagate on social media (Shubh’s beard is trimmed to perfection) and nor does it promote the happy Punjabi Balle-Balle culture.
You cannot even perform Bhangra on their songs because there are no dhols (traditional Indian drums) or other Punjabi musical instruments. Go to a Punjabi wedding in India, and you will find people dancing to old songs like DCP Salute Ohnu Marda (1999) or 5 Tara (2018) because they are so in sync with their state’s cultural ethos and the spirit of Bhangra.
Also read: West can’t allow Khalistan’s revival in its backyard and expect normal relations with India
Separatism sells?
Kulwinder Harsahai, a researcher on Punjabi filmmaking and documentaries, told me that after the farmers’ protest in 2020, NRI singers found that they could greatly profit from portraying Sikhs as a ‘persecuted minority’ abroad because “it sells and garners them a lot of fan following, even though their singing is not about such issues.”
Sidhu Moosewala, who was shot dead in broad daylight due to his politics and gang rivalry, seemed to have gained a lot from this approach. The late singer-cum-rapper did not bring much weight to his lyrics; they were usually about guns, love, cars and Jattwad (‘upper-caste’ pride). However, the songs that actually garnered him ‘respect’ addressed sensitive issues in Punjab.
Take his 2021 song 295, which spoke about the consequences of standing for the ‘truth’. It can get you charged with section 295 of the Indian Penal Code, he sang, which deals with insulting religious sentiments. It also highlighted the decades-old Satluj-Yamuna Link canal issue and the song was removed from YouTube until its re-release after his death.
Also read: Amritpal’s rise and fall expose a vulnerable Punjab. Minority bashing will boost radicalism
The role of politics in Punjabi media industry
Babbu Maan highlighted farmers’ issues way before the 2020 farmers’ protest. Released in 2000, the song Jatt Di Joon Buri still appeals to listeners, particularly those in rural Punjab. It speaks of farmers’ indebtedness, social distress and crop failure.
Even Gurdas Maan sang at length about the Punjabi diaspora and youth disconnect. His song Lakh Pardesi Hoiye speaks about the neglect that NRI Punjabis had for their motherland and how disrespecting it like this was wrong.
“Lakh pardesi hoiye, apna desh ni bhandi da, Jehde mulk da khaiye, usda bura ni manni da (Lakhs of people may become emigrants, but you must never bash your country. You should not wish ill for the country that made you).”
When I was a teen, Gippy Grewal came up with a track called Sarkaraan (governmements) for the movie Dharti (on youth politics), which greatly moved Punjabi youth in 2011.
“Sahde hi Paise te sarkaran chaldiyan ne, sahdiyan hi charchan lai akhbara padhdiyan ne (The governments run on our money, they read newspapers on the headlines we create).”
Traditional singers also popularised the values of the 10 Gurus of Sikhism. However, young singers hail Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and Amrit Pal Singh as their icons. Sidhu Moose Wala mentioned him in his 2020 song, Punjab (my motherland).
Older singers still use Punjabi beats, musical instruments and artistes. In contrast, the young NRI brood uses autotune and beats generated by synthesisers to create songs far removed from the ground realities.
This difference stems from the fact that the larger audience of Punjabi music is moving abroad, especially to countries like Canada, where radical Sikh elements actively brainwash the youth. The fights between Sikh NRIs and Hindu NRIs keep making headlines.
I bet most of these 20-something singers don’t even know what their parents had to suffer when the separatist movement was at its peak in Punjab. But the damage they have caused to those left behind in ‘Ubalta’ Punjab is well beyond their imagination. Maybe cancelling such artistes is a good step toward protecting Punjab’s culture and tradition. It’s time to heal and move on.
Nikhil Rampal is a former data journalist. He now studies economics in Europe. He tweets @NikhilRampal1. Views are personal.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)