Traditional drawing showing Bhangra step

Patiala : The heartlands of Punjab was thrown into turmoil yesterday when Lucky Singh, a young happy-go-lucky boy proposed the addition of a new move to the highly traditional dance form of Bhangra. For our international readers, Bhangra is a dance form that dates back to the 4th century BC, but still practised in the state of Punjab with one generation passing it on to the next. Almost declared as a world heritage art form, Bhangra in its pure form has been on the verge of being wiped out.

Lucky Singh, who has been brought up on a steady diet of Bollywood & UK Underground Punjabi Rap, made his revolutionary proposal at a news conference yesterday. For centuries, Bhangra proponents have tried to fine tune the art of holding up two hands with the index fingers pointing towards the sky, balancing their entire body weight on one leg, bending the other leg so that the thigh is parallel to the ground & gently jumping up and down to match the rhythm of the music and occasionally saying ‘oye’. Its deceptive simplicity has made millions of people try the Bhangra at some point, but purists say that there are only a few people on earth who have perfected the art.

Lucky defended his suggestion saying that his proposal basically used the same principles, but instead of the index fingers pointing upward, the palm would stay flat & move from left to right, in a hip hoppish manner. Daler Mehndi, a Bhangra rebel and outcast who tried to bring in novelty to Bhangra during the 90s with a swivel & rotating movement of the hand, said that he always welcomed the new but was quick to add that he himself has realised his follies and was working on a pure Bhangra video where he only wears white turbans.

Karan, an executive with an MNC, who claimed to have been doing the Bhangra in booze parties for many years, said that Lucky’s suggestion was nothing new, as he has been mixing up different dance forms, while dancing to the famous Bhangra song ‘Dillagi..yeh munda punjabi..’.

“Bhangra, has survived the East India company, Disco, Punk Rock and Shiamak Davar “

However purists were up in arms & issued a terse response that Bhangra, having survived the East India company, Disco, Punk rock & Shiamak Davar, will continue to resist these kind of irreverent suggestions. “We will continue to push the human limit for perfection in dance & fluid movement”, said Gurcharan Singh, one of the Bhangra grand masters.

There are unconfirmed reports that young people in small pockets across Punjab are quitely welcoming the change & quietly practising the new moves & optimistically waiting for the day that the revolution will come.

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