Punjab, the land of self-styled godmen and singers
Iwas travelling on a bus recently when passengers on an adjacent seat caught my attention. The two bearded gentlemen wearing ivory white kurta-chaadras and amorphous blue turbans were engrossed in a dialogue about the good old times. It was delightful to hear their voices touching higher notches with every reminiscence of their distant past.
However, the moment was short-lived. The flow of their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the abhorrent lyrics of a song played on the driver’s stereo. Shaking his head in disappointment, one of these elderly men said to the other, “Bhaau agge tan ethe itt putteya aah gaaunaale te baabey nikalde si, ajkal taan ittan utte baithe aa (The number of singers and self-styled godmen is at an all time high in Punjab)”.
Once a land of gurus and saints, Punjab is now synonymous with drugs, deras, and singers. This drastic change has become more pronounced over the past decade. Be it the crowds following Punjabi singers or the clamorous mob behind godmen, their numbers have grown by leaps and bounds. Strangely, there are several similarities in the way they work.
Firstly, both the groups style themselves to dazzle the masses. The dharam-gurus drape themselves in whites, often paired with beads, either tied around the wrist or worn as necklaces. Similarly, singers prove their cause by donning gaudy outfits. Shaggy beards, brassy jewellery, pierced ears, coloured spikes and all things tacky are part of the armour worn by these self-proclaimed artistes.
Secondly, the business of babas and singers revolves around pleasing Goddess Laxmi. Many singers charge lakhs merely for an appearance at an event, while babas get themselves weighed against bags of gold and silver. Their donation boxes are also always overflowing.
Thirdly, both like living life king size. Spread over hundreds of acres, the deras are like luxury resorts home to a fleet of high-end cars.
Punjabi singers are also equally enamoured of swanky cars and brands. It’s evident from their lyrics that often refer to Gucci, Prada, Rolex, Audi, Ferrari, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, et al.
Fourthly, singers objectify women and come out with lyrics that promote vulgarity. Some of the self-styled godmen have also courted infamy by exploiting their women followers.
Last but not least, both babas and singers seem quite fond of arms and ammunition. Babas are often accompanied by selfstyled security men brandishing weapons. Singers too like crooning about dangerous arms, referring to gun as bande-khani (man-eater) as if taking a life is a legal right they enjoy. Some of them have even gone to the extent of using gunshots as part of their musical vocabulary.
It can’t be denied that glorification of gangsters, drugs, and violence in songs indirectly provokes gangs and gang wars. We read and hear about youngsters getting killed in such mindless encounters every other week.
Though it will be wrong to label every singer or baba a crook, the explosion in their numbers makes it difficult to distinguish between the pretenders and the genuine. It’s high time people start using filters to reduce the damage being done in the name of aastha (faith) and cultural promotion.
ONCE A LAND OF GURUS AND SAINTS, PUNJAB IS NOW SYNONYMOUS WITH DRUGS, DERAS, AND SINGERS. THIS DRASTIC CHANGE HAS BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED OVER THE PAST DECADE