At the time when Punjabi music is going through a tough phase, dominated by remixes and noisy music, I remember some of the best songs sung in my mother tongue.
To select** 5 BEST Punjabi songs** is even tougher than picking 5 best innings in test cricket. As in cricket at least one have the statistics, but there is no unit in which music can be measured. Am a firm believer that Punjabi music is best in the world and best singers of world have blessed this soil with their soil.(One may say that am arrogant in saying so, but I honestly feel so).
The list goes from *Lal Chand’Yamla Jatt’ *of this Punjab and *Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan* of Punjab from other side of border, to the new generation singers like* Jazzy B* and *Ibrar Ul Haq*. Well The names themselves show how Punjabi music has declined. But luckily we still have few gems who are shining to keep the dark away.
If I just select 5 best Punjabi songs, all of them will be of **Gurdas Maan**, so instead I will try to pick 5 songs which are different from each other. Some may like the selection, some may not, but I hope everybody will agree that these songs are among the best of Punjabi music.
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Theme: Love
Singer: Harbhajan Maan
Punjab is land of lovers.Lovers like Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sehbaan, Sassi Punnu, Sohni Mahiwaal have blessed this earth with their innocent love.Among these, story of Mirza Sehbaan has always attracted me the most and *Hrabhajan Maan* have sung this song very beautifully. Also this song is the best picturized Punjabi song in my opinion. Harbhajan Maan really looked like Mirza and watching this song I really feel am looking at Mirza who was stabbed at his back by his lover.(But she really had to make a tough decision)
*Jad teer torh te sehbaan na, marda hoya mirza ki kehnda
sehbaan tu marhi kiti ni, je pata hunda tu inj kar ni
main leaunda naal paraawaan nu*
(When Sehbaan broke arrows of Mirza, dying Mirza said that Sehbaan you have done wrong, if I knew you will do this, I would have asked my brother to accompany me)
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Theme: Punjabi Pride
Singer: Hans Raaj Hans
No matter in which country you go, you will see Punjabi’s right at the top, they have made their mark with their hard work.No wonder that in Toronto we see road signs in Punjabi. The writer *Debi Makhsoospuri* has beautifully expressed these good qualities of Punjabis, and lyrics of this one have been written keeping in mind the Punjabis living all over the globe.So, rarely in any Punjabi marriage all over the world, this song is not played.
*Wafadaar hai mitti Punjab wali, wafadaar hai khoon Punjabiyaan da
o yaari ehna de naal di nahiyon kite, bair mannana pau Punjabiyaan da
Jaggon bahriyan khoobiaan ne, jithe jaande pachhaan bana lende
debi pet lai jithe wi ja baithan, taur wakhra rahu Punjabiaan da
rab warge ehna de chehre Punjabiaan di shaan wakhri
loki duniya wich wasde bathere Punjabiaan di shaan wakhri*
(Loyal is Punjabi soil, Loyal is blood of Punjabis. Friendship of Punjabis is nowhere else, and their fight is also uncomparable. Their qualities are outside this word, they make their own mark where ever they go
Debi says where ever they go for food, they shine differently from the rest.
Their faces are like Angels, Punjabi’s have different shine among them all
Many type of people live in this world, Punjabi’s have different shine among them all)
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Theme: Dance
Singer: Surinder Chhinda
For a non Punjabi, Punjabi music is all about dancing.Today we listen to Punjabi songs dominated by noisy music with singer’s voice hardly being heard. However with just a’dhol’ and with’buland’ voice of *Chhinda*, this song can make one dance and same effect can’t be produced by the music of nowadays.
*Putt jattan de blaunde bakkre, moddeyaan te daanga tariyaan
kainthe sone de gardanaan lambiyaan anakh naal pab tarde
chitte chadre sabarde tarti.*
(Sons of Jatt’s eat meat, have long sticks on their shoulders, golden lockets in their long necks, and when they put their foot on ground with pride, their long dress is touching the earth)
Note: Am a vegetatian and this song is about Punjabis in general.
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Theme: Semi Classical
Singers: Pooran Chand, Pyare Lal
Pooran Chand, Pyaare Lal, popularly known as wadaali brothers may not be known much outside Punjab but they are the best when it comes to sing Sufi songs based on semi classical music. Their songs can take you to another world. And I will highly recommend them to any person who thinks that Punjabi music is just about dancing numbers. One just need to close his eyes and listen to their songs .I have to say that like our great Sufi Saints, Wadali’s think of God as a lover so their songs must not be taken as a romantic song, they are a prayer to God.
*Tere naal preetaan pakkiyaan
sohna mukhra takdiyaan akhiyaan
na kadman ton hun sajna menu door karin
hun. da pyaar yaar manzoor karin*
(Love with you is forever, my eyes are watching your beautiful face, now please don’t take me away from your feet, please accept my love)
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Theme: Downfall of Punjabi language
Singer: Gurdas Maan
This is my all time favourite song.The writer and Singer Gurdas Maan has beautifully expressed in his words the rise and decline of Punjabi Language, by comparing it with a girl, her growth, and now sadly her old age. And he has tried to express who is responsible for this state of our mother tongue.
*Punjabiye zubaane ni rakane mere desh diye
fikki pai gayi chehre di nuhaar ni
midiyaan khilarin firen ni bulle diya kaafiye
kihne tera lah leya shingaar ni
Tu gorakh di gurhti le ke naathan teele jaayi
tu babe di baani ban ke guruaan de kar aayi
sangtaan ne laad te pyaar ditta aisa tennu
dinnan wich ho gayi mutiyaar ni
waris bulle shah hussain te hasham kadar yaaraan
kar kar wich tenu adab bakshaiya yaaraan te fankaaraan
san 47 wich hoya adrang tennu hoyi na tu fer pabban paar ni
beadbban bekadrran ne kad kadar kise di paayi
apni maan nu nangya kar ke o lag pe khaan kamayi
puttan nu parha ke angreji kaide assin chita karin baithe haan tyaar ni*
(Oh Pujabi language, most beautiful girl of my country, grace of your face is gone. Oh poetry of’Bulle Shah’, you are now seen with uncombed hairs, who have taken away all shine of your face? Our religious Gurus chose you to express their messages and the devotees gave you lot of love . As a result you became young within a short period. You had servants like Waris Shah, Bulle Shah, Shah Hussain, Hasam and Kadar who made sure that you were respected in every home of Punjab. In 1947, you got paralyzed and since then you have never been on your feet. When have careless and disrespectful people respected anyone? They made their mother clothe less and started earning. By making our children read English books, we have already laid foundation for your cemetery)
In the end I will like to wish that all of we Punjabis work together to save our mother tongue otherwise it will be too late and our coming generations will never forgive us.