Ode to a city

Manpriya Singh

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If anyone was to stumble upon the collection of Punjabi songs celebrating Chandigarh, they’d think it’s the uncontested ‘Disneyland of Lovers’ - city of geri routes, pretty girls and fun times. Ask any Punjabi and Canada is where the dreams lie, but Chandigarh is where the heart resides!

It’s been a while since Bollywood too gave in to the charm of the City Beautiful. Remember Katrina Kaif’s Kala Chashma? Teri Na Diyan Dhumma Pai Gaiyan, Tu Chandigarh Ton Aayi Ni. “Yes, I know there are several Punjabi songs on Chandigarh and I am happy to be contributing to the list,” laughs Tanishq Bagchi, while he was in the city to launch his first and yet another song celebrating the city, Chandigarh Main, from the upcoming film Good Newwz.

A story to tell

Talk of the song’s hook line, Dila Dun Ghar Chandigarh Main, and rapper Badhshah has an old story to narrate. “Those days I was actually looking for a house in Chandigarh, so the vibe and the feel of the song resonated with me personally.” While his song might allude to the sky-high retail prices in the city, there are others that directly point out to the joys of the place. Ask the many university youths who’ve lip synched to Raj Brar’s Chandigarh De Nazariyan Ne Pattiya. Then there is Ranjit Bawa’s Yaari Chandigarh Waliye Ni Teri - a simple take about a rural boy with an urban girlfriend (from Chandigarh, of course).

Great vibes

“The city is popular and finds so many references in the songs because of primarily two reasons. First it is the hub of education, which explains the strong association with student life in the lyrics too, and, second, every Punjabi has a second base here,” opines lyricist Navi Kamboz Ferozpurwala, who has rendered lyrics for popular Punjabi tracks like Wakhra Swag and Dilbara from the upcoming Pati Patni Aur Woh. He laughs, “But true, if somebody were to judge the city’s image in Punjabi songs, one would think people only do ‘aashiqui’ here.”

Which immediately takes us to yet another iconic number, Jassi Sidhu’s Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Putt Jattan Da Jallandaron Aa Ke.

But the song that nails the flipside and the pull of the city has to be Babbu Maan’s Chandigarh, “Chadhdi Jawani Chandigarh Kha Gaya, Mudh Ke Ni Janda, Jehda Aithe Aa Gaya.”

PS: Yes, Badhshah did find a residential address in Chandigarh! “It’s a place where I want to buy house too,” throws in Tanishq, adding, “You enter the city and get a certain vibe.”

The list goes on

It’s not just the girls finding mention in the lyrics; Chandigarh boys have a song too, as in singer Afsana Khan’s Chandigarh Shehr. Pind da munda and Chandigarh di kudi in Punjabi songs is as legendary as the love stories to do with rich boy and poor girl. Lyricist Prince Rakhdi himself has come up with as many as six songs on the city, including Mankirt Aulakh’s Chandigarh, the song that has references to Sukhna Lake and other places. It has the hook line, ‘Munde Jattan De Vigaad Ditte Balliye, Chandigarh Shehar Ne.’

Then there’s Suit Gulabi, sung by Inder Chahal, which only talks about the city. He says, “The lyrics come from all that we observe around us. Moreover, any song on Chandigarh is a ticket to instant popularity.” He cites that from a personal example, wherein one of the songs in Chandigarh was an instant crowd-pleaser at Panjab University campus.

manpriya@tribunemail.com