About Banda Singh Bahadur

Banda Singh Bahadur (born Lachman Dev, also known simply as Banda Bahadur, Lachman Das and Madho Das) (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716, Delhi) was a Sikh military commander.
At age 15 he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name ‘’Madho Das’’. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī, where in September 1708 he was visited by, and became a disciple of, Guru Gobind Singh, who gave him the new name of Banda Singh Bahadur. Armed with the blessing and authority of Guru Gobind Singh, he assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire. His first major action was the sack of the Mughal provincial capital, Samana, in November 1709.^[3] After establishing his authority in Punjab, Banda Singh Bahadur abolished the zamindari system, and granted property rights to the tillers of the land. He was captured by the Mughals and tortured to death in 1716.

Biography and Role in Sikh History

Early life

There are different views regarding the origin of Banda Singh Bahadur:

• The Mahan Kosh, a Sikh encyclopaedia written by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha, (Bhasha Bibhag Punjab, Patiala), states that he was Minhas Rajput, either from Rajouri in Jammu region or Doaba region of Punjab.
• P.N. Bali calls him a Mohyal Brahmin. According to Bali's "Mohyal History," Banda was born in a Mendhar Dist. village, Poonch, nestling the Shivalik ranges, in Jammu & Kashmir, in a Chhibber family on 27 October 1670.
• Hakim Rai calls him a Punjabi Khatri/Rajput.
• Giani Budh Singh a noted scholar of Poonch in his famous book Chhowen Rattan described Banda Bahadur as "Brahmin".
• Harjinder Singh Dilgeer in his book Sikh Twareekh (1469–2007) (published by Singh Brothers Amritsar, in 5 volumes in 2008) narrates that Banda Singh was a Rajput, born in 1670. At the age of 16 he left his home and joined the party of wandering Hindu ascetics (sadhu). He spent two years with two saadhus (Janki Das and then Ram Das)and then joined Baba Lunia, near Burhanpur. In 1696, he met Guru Gobind Singh at Kankhal, near Haridwar but this was a short meeting. After this, Sri Guru Gobind Singh visited him in August 1708. Dilgeer's account is challenged by some Sikh authorities.

As a young man, wrestling, horseback riding, and hunting were his major pastimes. He once shot dead a doe and was shocked to watch the mother and her aborted fawn writhing in pain and dying. After he had a change of heart. He left his home and became a disciple of a Bairagi Sadhu: Janaki Das, who gave him the name: Madho Das. In the company of the Sadhus, he travelled through Northern India and finally arrived at Nanded (in present-day Maharashtra), situated on the bank of the river Godavari.

Early conquests

After a meeting with Guru Gobind Singh on 3 September 1708, he became a Sikh. The guru ordered him to go to Punjab and fight the Mughals with the help of the Sikh army. Banda Singh Bahadur camped in Khar Khoda, near Sonipat.He fought the Battle of Sonepat and took over Sonipat and Kaithal. In 1709 he defeated Mughals in the Battle of Samana and captured the Mughal city of Samana, killing about 10,000 Mohammedans. Samana was famous for minting coins. With this treasury the Sikhs became financially stable. The Sikhs soon took over Mustafabad and Sadhora (near Jagadhri). The Sikhs then captured the Cis-Sutlej areas of Punjab, including Ghurham, Kapori, Banoor, Malerkotla, and Nahan. On 12 May 1710 in the Battle of Chappar Chiri the Sikhs killed Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind, and Dewan Suchanand, who were responsible for the martyrdom of the two youngest sons of Guru Gobind Singh. Two days later the Sikhs captured Sirhind. Banda Singh was now in control of territory from the Sutlej to the Yamuna and ordered that ownership of the land be given to the farmers, to let them live in dignity and self-respect.

Banda Singh's Sikh Raj

Banda Singh developed the village of Mukhlisgarh, and made it his capital. He then renamed the city it to Lohgarh (fortress of steel) where he issued his own mint. The coin described Lohgarh: "Struck in the City of Peace, illustrating the beauty of civic life, and the ornament of the blessed throne." He briefly established a state in Punjab for half a year. Banda Singh sent Sikhs to the Uttar Pradesh and Sikhs took over Saharanpur, Jalalabad, Muzaffarnagar and other areas near by bringing relief to the repressed population. In the regions of Jalandhar and Amritsar, the Sikhs started fighting for the rights of the people. Banda Bahadur captured Rahon after defeating mughals in the Battle of Rahon, (1710).Sikhs used their newly established power to remove corrupt officials and replace them with honest ones.

Revolutionary

Banda Singh is known to have abolished or halted the Zamindari system in the time he was active and gave the farmers proprietorship of their own land. It seems that all classes of government officers were addicted to extortion and corruption and the whole system of regulatory and order was subverted. Local tradition recalls that the people from the neighborhood of Sadaura came to Banda Singh complaining of the iniquities practices by their land lords. Banda Singh ordered Baj Singh to open fire on them. The people were astonished at the strange reply to their representation, and asked him what he meant. He told them that they deserved no better treatment when being thousands in number they still allowed themselves to be cowed down by a handful of Zamindars.He, later, captured Sadhaura after defeating the Sayyids and Shaikhs of Sadhaura in the Battle of Sadhaura.

Persecution from the Mughals

The rule of the Sikhs over the entire Punjab east of Lahore obstructed the communication between Delhi and Lahore, the capital of Punjab, and this worried Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah He gave up his plan to subdue rebels in Rajasthan and marched towards Punjab. The entire Imperial force was organized to defeat and kill Banda Singh. All the generals were directed to join the Emperor’s army. To ensure that there were no Sikh agents in the army camps, an order was issued on 29 August 1710 to all Hindus to shave off their beards.
Banda Singh was in Uttar Pradesh when the Moghal army under the orders of Munim Khan marched to Sirhind and before the return of Banda Singh, they had already taken Sirhind and the areas around it. The Sikhs therefore moved to Lohgarh for their final battle. The Sikhs defeated the army but reinforcements were called and they laid siege on the fort with 60,000 troops. Gulab Singh dressed himself in the garments of Banda Singh and seated himself in his place. Banda Singh left the fort at night and went to a secret place in the hills and Chamba forests. The failure of the army to kill or catch Banda Singh shocked Emperor, Bahadur Shah and On 10 December 1710 he ordered that wherever a Sikh was found, he should be murdered. The Emperor became mentally disturbed and died on 18 February 1712.
Banda Singh Bahadur wrote Hukamnamas to the Sikhs telling them to get themselves reorganized and join him at once. In 1712, the Sikhs gathered near Kiratpur Sahib and defeated Raja Ajmer Chand, who was responsible for organizing all the Hill Rajas against Guru Gobind Singh and instigating battles with him. After Bhim Chand’s dead the other Hill Rajas accepted their subordinate status and paid revenues to Banda Singh. While Bahadur Shah's 4 sons were killing themselves for the throne of the Mughal Emperor Banda Singh Bahadur recaptured Sadhura and Lohgarh. Farrukh Siyar, the next Moghal Emperor, appointed Abdus Samad Khan as the governor of Lahore and Zakaria Khan, Abdus Samad Khan's son, the Faujdar of Jammu. In 1713 the Sikhs left Lohgarh and Sadhura and went to the remote hills of Jammu and where they built Dera Baba Banda Singh. During this time Sikhs were being hunted down especially by pathans in the Gurdaspur region. Banda Singh came out and captured Kalanaur and Batala which rebuked Farrukh Siyar to issue Mughal and Hindu officials and chiefs to proceed with their troops to Lahore to reinforce his army.

Siege in Gurdas Nangal

In March 1715, Banda Singh Bahadur was in the village of Gurdas Nangal, Gurdaspur, Punjab, when the army under the rule of Samad Khan, the Mughal king of Delhi laid siege to the Sikh forces. The Sikhs fought and defended the small fort for eight months.

Torture and Execution

On 7 December 1715 Banda Singh Bahadur was captured from the Gurdas Nangal fort and put in an iron cage. The remaining Sikhs were captured and chained. The Sikhs were brought to Delhi in a procession with the 780 Sikh prisoners, 2,000 Sikh heads hung on spears, and 700 cartloads of heads of slaughtered Sikhs used to terrorise the population. They were put in the Delhi fort and pressurised to give up their faith and become Muslims. On their firm refusal all of them were ordered to be executed. Every day, 100 Sikhs were brought out of the fort and murdered in public. This continued for approximately seven days. After 3 months of confinement, on 9 June 1716, Banda Singh’s eyes were gouged out, his limbs were severed, his skin removed, and then he was killed.

Criticism by Early Sikh Historians

Mahima Prakash - Sarup Dass Bhalla

This manuscript was completed by Sarup Das, who belong to lineage of Guru Amar Dass, in 1776. In his manuscript, Sarup Das mentioned incident of Gurdas Nangal and surrendering of Banda Bahadur of, where Banda Bahadur made comments against Guru's wishes. The key points mentioned in his writings are:

• After surrendering, Banda Bahadur admitted at Delhi that he hadn't followed code of conduct given by Guru Gobind Singh.
• Banda had desire to marry again even during the siege which led to agitation.

It was Binod Singh who agitated against him and clashed with him inside the fort. After that Binod Singh left the fort and Banda Bahadur later surrendered . He confessed at Delhi:

"ਕਿਸੀ ਕੀ ਕਿਆ ਮਕਦੂਰ ਥਾ ਜੋ ਮੁਝ ਕੋ ਮਾਰਤਾ॥ ਪਰ ਸਤਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਆਗਿਆ ਮੇਰੇ ਸੇ ਭੰਗ ਹੁਈ ਹੈ ॥"

— (Banda Bahadur, as per Mahima Prakash)

Mata Sundri, who was already in Delhi, fetched out Baba Kahn Singh from the prisoner group and did not save Banda Bahadur from capital punishment.

Mahankosh, Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha

Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha - states in his Mahankosh that:
.....ਪਰਭੁਤਾ ਵਧ ਜਾਨ ਪਰ ਬੰਦਾ ਬਹਾਦੁਰ ਨੂੰ ਕੁਝ ਗਰਬ ਹੋਇਆ, ਆਪਣੀ ਗੁਰੂਤਾ ਕੀ ਅਭਿਲਾਖਾ ਜਾਗ ਗਈ | ਜਿਸ ਪਰ ਉਸ ਕੇ ਕਈ ਨਿਯਮ ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਵਿਰੁਧ ਪਰਚਾਰ ਕਰਨੇ ਚਾਹੇ ਜਿਸ ਤੋਂ ਪੰਥ ਦਾ ਵਿਰੋਧ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਖਾਲਸੇ ਦੇ ਦੋ ਦਲ ਬਣ ਗਝ.....
This means After attaining popularity, Banda turned Egoistic and wished to become Guru. Under this Egotism, he preached his own Code of Conduct against Gurmat(i). Due to which Panth split into two parts. One Tat Khalsa(With Gur Gobind Singh) and other Bandai Khalsa (Khalsa of Banda Bahadur).
All early Sikh historical resources including Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, Giani Gian Singh, Historian Karam Singh, Giani Kartar Singh, Nihang Dharam Singh etc. also mentioned these facts.

Battles fought by Banda Singh

• Battle of Sonepat
• Battle of Ambala
• Battle of Samana
• Battle of Chappar Chiri
• Battle of Sadhaura
• Battle of Lohgarh
• Battle of Jammu
• Battle of Rahon, (1710)
• Battle of Jalalabad (1710)
• Battle of Kapoori
• Battle of Gurdas Nangal or Siege of Gurdaspur

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War Memorial

A war memorial was built where Battle of Chappar Chiri was fought, to glorify heroic Sikh Soldiers. The project was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal on 30th Nov 2011.
The 328 ft tall Fateh Burj was dedicated to Banda Singh Bahadur who led the army and defeated the Mughal Force. The Fateh Burj is taller than Qutab Minar and is in octagonal structure. There is a dome at the top of tower with Khanda made of stainless steel.

 

Music of Punjab

Punjab is a region in Indian sub-continent, divided into two parts West Punjab (Pakistan) and East Punjab (India). Punjabi music has a diverse style of music, ranging from folk and Sufi to classical, notably the Patiala gharana.

Folk music

Main article: Folk music of Punjab

Folk music of the Punjab is the traditional music of Punjab produced using the traditional musical instruments like Tumbi, Algoze, Dhadd, Sarangi, Chimta and more. There is a wide range of folk songs for every occasion from birth to death including marriage, festivals, fairs and religious ceremonies.

Folk music is often perceived as the traditional music of Punjab and typically has communal authorship. This aspect of folk music has shifted with time but the older categories of folk begin with the dhadi genre, which does follow ideas of communal authorship. The folk dhadi genre emphasizes stories of heroism and love stories, as exemplified by the numerous ballads of the legendary romantic tales of Hir-Ranjha and Sahiba-Mirza. Folk music is also commonly used in various life-cycle events in the Punjab region. “In almost every wedding ceremony family members, friends, and professional folk musicians perform different sets of folk songs which use themes from a nostalgic past, but communicate themes of separation, joy, fear, and hope in the present.” The lyrical content of many of these wedding songs have the paternal home depicted as a source of love and nurture, while the in-laws home is a source of tyranny and torture. Folk music continues to be used as a modern tool and a way of locating identification.

Ritual and life-cycle songs

The notion of the traditional or folk music remains a critical part of Punjab society because it aids in the preservation of long-established customs. Life-cycle songs mostly “coincide with ritual occasions and they often mark stages in a ceremony” and can vary in topic ranging from birth to marriage. For example, family members and friends sing these songs during wedding festivities, by doing so help protect the traditional rituals associated with each step of the marriage. Suhag or ghorian, which are sung for the bride and groom respectively, typically give praise to God and ask for blessings from God. Women typically sing these songs in a choral fashion and may also focus on the ideal groom and bride. Both song genres celebrate the emotion of joy specifically surrounding the wedding process. The ghorian emotes feeling of “pure joy and desire”, while the suhag is a “mixture of joy and grief”. There are also songs that are associated with each night of the wedding starting as far back as five nights before to spread turmeric paste on the bride and groom. By having these songs, Punjabi people continue to celebrate the traditional cultural practices and have “transformed and even…revitalized” the way marriages are celebrated.

While folk songs exist to commemorate important moments in one's life, they also “serve as a repository of local culture, beliefs, social structures, and response to historical change” because they reflect the current climate within local communities. With the subject of these songs varying from praising God to simply discussing the qualms of an agrarian lifestyle, they provide greater insight into Punjabi daily life. While folks song are “set in complex cultural context of a society” that is consumed by a strict social system influenced by social and economic status, they reveal that these “village people of all levels interact daily in a manner that demonstrates their mutual codependence”. Because of this, folk music serves as a way to further encourage this mixture that helps to break down social constructs.

Short verse forms and entertainment songs

These include tappa, mahia, and dhola.

Professional musicians and genres

Professional performing communities in Punjab represent endogamous ethnic groups who generally occupy a lower-class status of service providers and are patronized by higher classes. Generally, men dominant professional music production and are trained in the ‘master-disciple’ system. Professional musicians are occupational speciationalists who inherit their professions through their musician ancestors. The most prominent group are the Mirasis, which an umbrella occupational label used to designate all hereditary musicians. Mirasis serve as genealogists and are responsible for committing to memory and singing the praises their lineages. Mirasis are generally Muslims (settled in West Punjab) who emerged from the “Dum” group and encompass many performing communities that “differ depending on kinship practices, musical sophistication, and sociomusical contexts.” Other professional performing communities include the tribal Bazigar group, performers of the dhadi and tumba-algoza genre.

Bazigar (Goaar) people: From their base in West Punjab in the pre-Partition era, Bazigar performers carried both traditions that were unique to their community and those that were typical of the local residents of that area. However, despite their contributions to the music world and performing sector of Punjab, they are poorly recognized by their neighbors and outsiders. mainstream Punjab classifies these people as the “acrobats” of the society. The Bazigar people have neither inclination nor the opportunity to remedy that situation. At present they are becoming more and more integrated into the mainstream society. Their performances consist of the display of a variety of physical feats- of strength, balance, agility, and courage. Performances were usually invited by big festivals and occasions. They would begin with the beating of the dhols in order to enhance excitement and call attention to the event.

Dhadi: Refers both the a genre of Punjabi music and the performers who play it. It is a distinctly composed ensemble of ballad-singers. The folk dhadi genre is subject to three main poetic forms namely baint, sadd, and kali. It has four main aspects: discourse, poetry, singing and music. The concerts were usually held outside of villages on the banks of a pond or in some other open space under the dense shade of a few large tree, or else the religious-camps of the village. A distinctive feature of the folk dhadi’s art has been a continuous and strict practice regimen. Usually these dhadis were completely illiterate or practically so. They would have to learn by hearing others, so their power of memory, would have to be very great. Their attire usually consisted of dazzling white, starched turbans with fan. The white color is a symbol of wisdom, learning and cleanliness. Another ballad-style form of music is the tumba-algoza genre based in the regions of Malwa and Majha.

Devotional music

Sufi music

Sufi music includes the singing of Sufi poetry in several genres. Some of the poets whose compositions are often sung include Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Waris Shah, and Mian Muhammad Bakhsh.

Sikh music

Shabad kirtan. See article on Sikh music And Shabad Gurbani .

Popular music

Punjabi pop

Punjabi songs in recent years has entered mainstream Indian culture, as well as in the UK and U.S. Its inclusion in Bollywood songs. The rise in popularity in Punjabi music in London and in the suburb of Southall, which has a sizeable South Asian population, can be attributed to the diaspora of immigrants from both to east and west Punjab to the United Kingdom in the 1970s. By the 1980s, Punjabi music, many types of which were now being referred to as “bhangra,” started to be played in discos.

In addition to the UK, Punjabi music has also gained popularity in the United States. This inclusion of Punjabi music in popular culture has continued and become more salient today, as exemplified by UK-based Panjabi MC’s “Mundian to Bach Ke,” became a Top 40 hit in the United States, being listened to widely by non-Punjabis. Furthermore, second generation Indian American youth in major American cities such as New York and New Jersey have adopted elements of Punjabi music into their nightlife. The music that is popular amongst this Indian American subculture incorporates both Western and Eastern influences. Urban sounds including hip hop, R&B, and reggae are mixed with more traditional Indian genres of bhangra and Hindi film music.

Punjabi music has also made its mark in mainstream Hindi cinema. It has typically been characterized as “an ethnocultural signifier of Panjabi celebration,” and more recently, “a national signifier of fun.”

Diaspora developments

Although the diaspora of Punjabi music to western countries such as the United Kingdom first became popular in the 1980s, the trend continued into the 1990s. In the UK in particular, Punjabi music became intertwined with American and British popular music, as Punjabi youth connected their western experience with their cultural roots. It became an important medium through which Punjabi youth could navigate their unique identities as British Indians. The British press sporadically became aware of trends in Punjabi music, especially with the rise of popular artists such as Panjabi MC and Apache Indian; that said, however, the diaspora of Punjabi music was primarily a local phenomenon, limited to Punjabi communities in the UK.

The 90’s marked a significant shift in Punjabi music pertaining to production styles and lyrical content. The decade was marked by a musical style that contained consistent elements of traditional music including instruments such as the dhol, tumbi, and algoza. However, the 90s were the first time that elements from other genres such as reggae and disco/club type of instrumentals were incorporated in the music. This is seen as the decade that produced the birth of what is commonly referred to today as “fusion” Punjabi music.

One prime example of a breakthrough artist that exemplified this new fusion style was Apache Indian. His song “Arranged Marriage,” produced by British Indian Punjabi brothers Simon and Diamond and released on the album titled No Reservations (1993), combined a reggae lyrical style, traditional dhol elements, and a Punjabi background chorus. Many more prominent Punjabi artists and producers broke through into mainstream Punjabi music during this time. They included Bally Sagoo, Sukshinder Shinda, and Jazzy B. Bally Sagoo became famous for his productions and remix. Shinda became renowned for his production ability and inclusion of vigorous dhol beats, while Jazzy B exemplified the influence hip-hop had in Punjabi music in his image and tough lyrics.

Global Punjabi music industry

Diaspora Music has been spread back to India through media, both radio, cassettes and the TV channels MTV and ETC Panjabi. the 2000s Diaspora music was a reflection of the evolution that took place in Punjabi music in the 1990s. Artists began to develop and build upon the styles and foundations that were previously established as popular and successful musical styles abroad.

With the mixture of styles of both Punjabi and Western culture, there became a fusion in both the music and the identity formation of those living abroad. Because samples of famous Hindi and Punjabi music have been included in the club scene, youth are able to “inculcate an Indian identity.” Youth of the Diaspora can use these fusions to help establish their hybrid identities. These identities could include urban American culture or British culture alongside Indian culture. While this new identity has been created by the Diaspora youth the same ideas of identity do not hold for older generations, causing divides between the two.

The artists of this time period and the music they produced had a large effect on the popularity and transformation of Punjabi music into a type of genre that became an enjoyable and popular component of nightlife for South Asians. Dr. Zeus for example produced club-friendly instrumentals and collaborated with established Punjabi artists to take the fusion sound to a higher and more sophisticated level. His song “Kangna” reflects a fusion between club, hip-hop, and Punjabi musical styles. While Punjabi MC became famous in the late 90’s for his hit “Mundian tho Bachke Rahin,” he has continued to produce music that reflects a similar style and is extremely popular with the first and second generation South Asian population. These styles continue to progress into the present decade.

Bhangra

Main article: Bhangra (music)

Bhangra describes dance-oriented popular music with Punjabi rhythms, developed since the 1980s. The name refers to one of the traditional and folkloric Punjabi dances. Thus in bhangra music the emphasis is usually on the music (i.e. rhythm for dancing) and less on the singer and the lyrics. Bhangra music is appreciated all over the globe.

Classical music

• Patiala Gharana
• Sham Chaurasia gharana

Instruments

During the past century, Punjabi folk musicians used 87 instruments, 55 of which are still used today. It is notable that the instruments used today serve a function that exceeds musical necessity in that they are closely tied to Punjabi culture and heritage. The dhol, for example, continues to be popular because it is important to special proceedings such as weddings and sporting events. Additionally, the popularity of certain instruments encourages people to continue learning to play them; therefore, maintaining their relevance in Punjabi events. Terrorist events in during the late 1980s threatened the existence of Punjabi folk music and the instruments that accompanied this genre. With several notable artists being killed and major festivals being cancelled there was not a space for folk music to exist. The boom of technology also threatened folk music by creating a new genre of music known as Punjabi Pop, which mixed electronic and folk music. The following instruments are the most popular within Punjabi music.

Algoza: The algoza “consists of two joined beak flutes, one for melody, the second for drone” and the “flutes are either tied together or may be held together loosely with the hands”. A continuous flow of air is necessary as the player blows into the two flutes simultaneously.

Dhol: Resembles much of the construction of a drum. It is a two-sided drum of mango wood, 48 cm long and 38 cm wide and is played using two slightly curved sticks. It is thought to have a much more significant value to the artisans such as the blacksmiths or the cobblers. It is usually played during neutral occasions and mostly by only men.

Chimta: The chimta are similar to tongs and consist of 122 cm long iron strip that is bent in half and adorned with an iron ring set. The small metal discs called chaene are “attached on the inner side of the tongs so as to strike against each other like small cymbals when the arms of the chimta are struck”.

Dholki: The dholki is a smaller, feminine version of the dhol. It is played by women in marriages and religious gatherings. It is rarely decorated with tassels.

Kanjari: This is a shallow one sided drum, round or sometimes octagonal, 18 to 28 cm in diameter and set with rattling discs around the rim- in essence of a tambourine. It accompanies singing, dances and religious activities.

Kato: This a stick with a squirrel (galad) on top. Attached to the head of the squirrel is a cord, which jerks its head up, “producing a sharp click”. At the same time, bells attached to its tail jingles.

Dhad: The Dhad has the hourglass shape of the damroo and but is slightly larger. The body of this instrument is made from mango, mulberry or sheesham wood and the heads are covered in goatskin held taut with cords. The fingers are used to tap and make sounds that can vary based on how tightly or loosely the strings are maintained.

Dances

Dance traditions of Punjab represent a collection of folk art forms that have evolved significantly and changed in meaning throughout the centuries. After the Partition of 1947, Punjab was marked by a period state-building efforts that sought to establish a national identity, which was intimately tied to the revival, folklorization, and ritualization of many of Punjab’s older dances. During this period, bhangra dance in particular became tokenized as the iconic emblem of the Punjab region as a whole, overshadowing other important and centuries-old folk dances of the region. Punjab’s rich repertoire of folk dances include jhummar, sammi, luddi, dandas, nachar, and giddha. There are prominent dances in Punjab, but are perhaps less familiar to a global audience. Jhummar is A widely established Punjabi dance, there was a decline in jhummar performances, through it was later revived as a conscious reaction to the over-commodified and over-sensationalized bhangra dance to invoke a more traditional notion of Punjab. The name jhummar stems from ghoomar, designated a performance done in a circular direction or group of individuals spinning. It is generally performed only be men, and the movement are generally “relatively slow and gentle, and often considered rather “feminine” when compared to other Punjabi dances. Dance movements are performed in unison.” Musical accompaniment usually involves the dhol barrel drum. Summi is a simple female dominated dance traditionally performed by women in the Sandal Bar region of Punjab that has existed from at least the eighteenth century that was revived after the Parition of 1947. Giddha is a dance of the Malwa, Southeast region of Punjab that has both expression in men and women’s forms, and involves pairs of individuals dancing while others stand in a circle around them singing lyrical verses (bolis).