An unforgiving take on our times

Kuldeep Singh Dhanaula

Hatthin paale hoye begane, kadd ke gaal bulaunde ne,

Akhan thonu kuj ni aunda, sanu eh samjhaunde ne,

O lakhaan de si kakkh bana te, dekho aulaad nikammi ne,

Apne maape buda-budi, sass-sahura mummy-daddy ne.

Something about this verse touched the chord somewhere and Punjabis spread far and wide across the globe shared it on social media. The singers behind the creation that described the Punjab of today so aptly are Mithu, Satnam and Preet, together known as gold medalist Pathak brothers.

Inspired by their late grandfather Bhagat Ram Pathak, they took to singing. Their grandfather, an unlettered man, would often carry one of them on his shoulders and hold the others by the hand while going to the sathh, a point in a village where people, mostly elderly, meet and chat. On the way, he regaled them with stories, leaving a deep impact on their tender minds, making them develop interest in singing too. Unlike their grandfather, the siblings, who hail from Mana Patti in Dhanaula town of Barnala, they took up studies. Today, Mithu and Satnam teach at Guru Gobind Singh College, Sanghera, and International School, Pakho Kalan, respectively. Preet works as a tubewell operator for Dhanaula municipal council.

Satnam tells that though the siblings began writing songs and poems in 1994-95, it was in 1998 that they got a chance to come up with a singing performance at the dera of Baba Labh Singh in Dhanaula. Since then, they never looked back.

Their songs come from folklore, history and mythology. They are about Kaulan Bhagtani, Dahud Badshah, Draupadi Swayamvar, Bheem Pratigya, Pooran Bhagat, Raja Harichand, Panj Pyare, Chhote Sahibzaade, Jani Chor, Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Gobind Singh, Kiran Mayi, Guru Ravidas, Heer-Ranjha, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bibi Prem Kaur and Roop Basant.

The brothers have also penned a few books, some of them being Mutthi Bhar Armaan, Sanjha Kaav Sangreh, Balde Chirag, Mehkaan De Vanjare and Jugni Modern.

In their writings, they shame the materialistic world, lash out at politicians and launch scathing attacks on social evils such as dowry and female foeticide. They blame the leaders for dividing the country on the lines of religion in 1947 and don’t spare politicians of today, who still don’t hesitate to divide people on the basis of their religion. They talk about the apathy that boys and girls show towards their parents.

Besides these, single tracks Lahnataan sarkaraan nu, Dilli di haivaniyat, Sass-sahura, Angreji maar gayi, Raaje Ranjeet diyaan, Bacche palan dawaiyaan te, etc. are among their creations.

When the conversation turns towards the recognition and honour they have got so far, they say though they have been honoured by Uttar Pradesh Punjabi Sahit Akademi (Aligarh), Punjabi Sahit Sabha PG College (Fatehabad), Yuvak Sewanwa Vibhag Punjabi (Bathinda and Mohali), Malwa Sahit Sabha (Barnala) and Punjabi Likhari Sabha (Dhanaula), they have been ignored by the state government so far. However, they hope that their efforts will bear fruit with Navjot Singh Sidhu, Minister of Tourism, Cultural Affairs and Museums, Punjab, at the helm now.