Jatt-isation of Punjabi music is dangerous: Rabbi Shergill

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 17

He arrived on the Indian music scene with his brand of Sufiyana with Bullah Ki Jana Mein Kaun and gave it Punjabi rock ballad twist. But Rabbi Shergill, the powerhouse of Punjabi Sufi-folk, says his challenge as an independent musician is to make people understand his vision through music. “I have seen that in the past few years, the new generation of Punjabis is waking up to its cultural identity, language and roots. Music has just been a medium.” Shergill was one of the guests at FICCI FLO Amritsar’s change of guard ceremony where he also performed.

“Bollywood has benefitted a lot by selling Punjabi music, but in this trade, Punjabi music industry has suffered. We are adapting their industry culture but losing out on our Sufi, folk roots. We are just as seasonal flavor for Bollywood. We should not forget that,” he says. While his collaborations in films have always given chart busters, like the recent song Bulleya from John Abraham starrer RAW, he is fine working in Bollywood only if it matches his creative purpose.

He also terms the Jatti-sation of the mainstream Punjabi music a dangerous trend. “It is very sad that this genre of music has brought out a very negative side of Punjabiyat that has been symbolized by referring to only a particular community. A Jatt who uses weapons or believes in violence or is a womaniser is not how things are. We do not mention Baba Deep Singh or Bhagat Singh, the Jatts who rose up to the occasion and have given us real idols. It is a degradation of creativity,” he says.

In the past, Rabbi has touched upon the topic of casteism, religion-based violence with his song Bilquis and cultural identity crisis among new generation.