I live in Delhi, and a fairly large part of it is inhabited by Punjabis, which is fine by me, given that they are friendly people who gave the world Chhole Bhature and Paneer Tikka. Of course, sometimes I do come across bulky dudes wearing tight T-shirts with 'Punjabis are Born Cool' written between their nipple imprints, but I choose to ignore that. Given my skinny frame, I don't think I have much of a choice anyway. Apart from tight tees and heavy bikes, there's one more thing that theses Panjus love- Music. Give them some alcohol and they can even dance on the noise of a tractor. Although I do admit that punjabi music is all nice and catchy, but it sure is overrated. I mean the sheer amount of Honey Singhs and Sukhbirs that play in a wedding is over-whelming. Though I have mostly heard the popular tracks, but I have noticed some quirks in Punjabi songs and artists-
They Copy the West - I know, even hindi artists copy the west; in fact even hollywood has started to take inspiration from bollywood. I consider it as peacefully co-existing until the point when a certain guy decides to name himself 'Yo Yo Honey Singh'. I'm serious, the most popular guy in Punjabi music has a 'Yo Yo' in his name...and probably in his hand, given his state of mind. Then there is J-star who wears big rapper hats, loose clothes, fake blingy jewelry. It's like Lil Wayne suddenly became white and decided to roam on tractors shouting ' Balle Balle'.
And the image of fat Surdies with black beards and sunglasses trying to rap is , to say the least, repulsive.
Gucci and Prada- They are obsessed with them. Eg- "Badi shopping ho rhi ae, kade Gucci kade Prada" "Kaali teri Gucci te Prada tera laal". It doesn't matter that their pronunciation of Prada is 'Paraadha' .It doesn't matter that the clothes they wear are fake Gucccis bought from Palika. People listening are just amazed at how Gucci is pronounced as Gucchi despite of not having an 'h' - an indicator of the brand being high class.
Cars and Bikes- Punjabi's love for cars is well known. Rich brats in Delhi can be easily spotted running their Audis and BMWs on the road and sometimes over people lying on the footpath. So obviously, the video of a Punjabi song has to have a Ducati or a Bullet . Even if it's a sad song, there has to be a scene of the singer mourning while siting outside his car. And if cars in music videos is not enough, then you have a full song dedicated to a car- 'Amplifier' by Imran Khan. The song is about how the guy uses his gaddi to lure the chick and claims to be her amplifier, while she is his woofer.Strange thing to be no?
They Copy the West - I know, even hindi artists copy the west; in fact even hollywood has started to take inspiration from bollywood. I consider it as peacefully co-existing until the point when a certain guy decides to name himself 'Yo Yo Honey Singh'. I'm serious, the most popular guy in Punjabi music has a 'Yo Yo' in his name...and probably in his hand, given his state of mind. Then there is J-star who wears big rapper hats, loose clothes, fake blingy jewelry. It's like Lil Wayne suddenly became white and decided to roam on tractors shouting ' Balle Balle'.
And the image of fat Surdies with black beards and sunglasses trying to rap is , to say the least, repulsive.
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| 'Yo Yo Honey Singh, a second before turning into the hulk' |
Gucci and Prada- They are obsessed with them. Eg- "Badi shopping ho rhi ae, kade Gucci kade Prada" "Kaali teri Gucci te Prada tera laal". It doesn't matter that their pronunciation of Prada is 'Paraadha' .It doesn't matter that the clothes they wear are fake Gucccis bought from Palika. People listening are just amazed at how Gucci is pronounced as Gucchi despite of not having an 'h' - an indicator of the brand being high class.
Sheran di kaum Punjabi - As much as I respect the Sikhs for their contribution in the army, I am sick of every fat Panju rapper claiming to be a tiger. It's like these people feel it's their duty to inform the world of their coolness. You know what? Let the world decide. It's one thing to be proud of your culture and it's totally another thing to constantly rub it in the face of other people.
Though there are more things I'd like to say but the number of people who have Honey Singh as their DPs on Facebook scare me.
PS- I wrote this post while listening to Sukhbir's Taare Gin Gin Yaad Me Teri. All time classic.
PS- I wrote this post while listening to Sukhbir's Taare Gin Gin Yaad Me Teri. All time classic.
